Something to Cherish
by The Silent Calling
Summary: Angela came to Waffle Island with close to nothing. Given a house and a plot of land, she must learn to farm and figure out how to live the dream she's always wanted. Along the way, she'll also develop close friends and find her true love. AngelaxChase.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story I'm typing with my sister. I'm hoping it'll turn out alright since she's an amazing authoress. I hope you like the first chapter!**

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Chapter 1

The sky was dark. A little too dark, perhaps, for a trip across the ocean.

Angela sighed, brushing her bangs back from her face. Rain would only dampen her spirits. She was somewhat excited for her trip, but more worried about what lied ahead and what she was leaving behind. At least she had her trusty iPod. She rubbed the leather case affectionately.

"Uh...excuse me?" Angela sighed again, ripping the cords out of her ears. She blushed, realizing just how loud her music really was. She quickly stuffed her iPod into her pocket and looked up hastily.

Pascal smiled. "I just wanted to tell you we're about an hour's worth from the island."

Angela nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"What were you listening to?"

"Um...uhh...," she stuttered, racking her brain for a witty response, "...I'm listening to The Police...?"

Pascal beamed. "Good girl!" He patted her shoulder encouragingly.

Angela flinched, smiling back sheepishly. She wanted to make sure she was off on the right foot with everyone, even if it meant lying about her choice of music.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name."

"Oh, sorry. It's Angela." She turned to the ocean, her eyes transfixed on the rolling black waves crashing against the hull. "I decided to leave my family. Figured it was time to move on. They gave me some money to start, but I'm probably going to have a hard time earning the rest myself. I don't have a job. Heck, I don't even have a house. I just needed to get away. Time for a change of scenery, you know?"

The elderly captain grinned. "I know exactly what you mean. I left home when I was eighteen. My father had always taken me out in the ocean in our little fishing boat, and that was when I fell in love with the sea. It was tough getting started, but I turned out okay. You'll find your calling eventually."

Angela nodded. "Thanks. I hope I find it soon....maybe something in the fashion business or something..."

"Is that what you want to be? A tailor?"

"Uh...maybe... I like stuff like that, but it just doesn't feel right." She bit her lip. "Maybe after I get to the town I'll find something else that interests me even more."

"We should probably be moving inside. The rain is getting pretty bad."

Angela looked up in surprise. She was so wrapped up in the conversation she hadn't noticed that the rain had begun coming down in sheets. She laughed at herself, following the captain back into the ship.

Angela flopped down on one of the ship's many couches. Her eyes were already starting to feel heavy. Pascal, who had sat down on the couch opposite of her, laughed when he saw Angela's weary expression.

"We only have a half hour left of the trip left. Do you think you can make it?" Angela sat upright.

"Of course I can!" she huffed. The truth was, of course, she was exhausted...and nauseous. Pascal eyed her suspiciously.

"Angela, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"You don't look good at all..." he murmured to her. "Do storms make you sick?" There was a long pause. "Angela?" The brown-haired girl collapsed on the couch in a dead faint. "Angela!"

~*~*~*~*~*

_Angela dreamed she was in a dark room. Cold pressed against her as she looked around, confused. A flash of light illuminated the room and suddenly a beautiful lady appeared in front of her. She was the most beautiful woman Angela had ever see; her shimmering blue hair and sparkling eyes made her look like some sort of goddess. Angela reached out to the distressed woman longingly, as if she had known the mysterious maiden her whole life. _

_"...He...lp.....my....dying....tree...spr...wa...ke..." the woman stuttered. "Too...we...can...not..." The beautiful lady began fading._

_"Wait, don't go!" Angela pleaded. "I need to know more! Please!" _

_~*~*~*~*~*_

"I think she'll be alright, Colleen. Jin's already examined her and determined that she just passed out."

A woman sighed from somewhere in the room. "I hope you're right, Jake. We'd better go downstairs; Yolanda's having a fit because there are no customers anymore." Footsteps retreated from the room. Angela hesitated before blinking her eyes open.

At first she could only see a bright light, but it gradually morphed into separate colors and objects. She sat up abruptly only to fall back down on the bed again. She felt so weak...and tired.

"C'mon," she commanded herself. Grudgingly, she sat up again and managed to get up on her feet. She looked around the room. It wasn't that bad, actually. It was well furnished with a bed, a dresser, and a window. Angela figured she must be in Sundae Inn. She had read about the many Waffle Island buildings in a brochure sent to her by the mayor. Angela found her way to the stairs and went downstairs.

"Awake already?" A pink-haired woman ran up to her. "I'm glad. Pascal brought you in late yesterday. Poor thing, he said you passed out in the storm."

Angela looked around. "Uh...I guess I must have passed out. I mean, I don't remember very much..."

The woman gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Colleen, I run Sundae Inn with my husband, Jake, and my mother-in-law, Yolanda."

"I'm Angela. It's nice to meet you."

Colleen smiled. "It's nice to see a new face around here these days. Ever since the Mother Tree..."

"Now, now, Colleen," a tall man ran up to her. "Don't confuse her." The man held out his hand. "I'm Jake, and this is my mother, Yolanda."

Angela shook his hand and the hand of a short, pudgy woman. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm the head chef here at the Sundae Inn," Yolanda said. "You need any dish, and you just ask me to make it."

"Thanks."

"We're you just seasick, or did the storm get to you?" Yolanda asked, sitting Angela down at a spare table. Angela smiled and then bit her lip uncomfortably. "Well, I actually don't know…but…while I was asleep, I had the strangest dream..." She told them about the beautiful lady in distress.

Yolanda blushed. "Oh, you're so sweet to flatter an old woman like me."

Angela smiled uncomfortably.

Jake laughed. "Now, Mother, Angela could have just as easily been talking about Colleen."

"Oh, Honey!" Colleen flushed red.

"Er..." Angela stuttered. She was pretty sure that none of the women here was the beautiful woman in her dream. Her stomach growled unexpectedly, breaking the silence.

"Hungry, are you?" Yolanda laughed, and Angela nodded sheepishly.

"Shall we get something to eat?" Jake suggested. All in presence nodded encouragingly. He pushed Yolanda and Colleen towards the kitchen. "C'mon! I'll whip up some eggs and bacon. And don't you move from that spot. It'll only take a minute!"

Angela looked around nervously. For the first time since the trip, she suddenly felt very alone.

"Um…hello? Can I help you?" Angela turned around abruptly and came face-to-face with a golden-blonde girl with a wide smile. She wore a deep blue dress with a white chef's apron tied neatly around her waist. The girl's pale blue eyes sparkled.

"Oh…no," Angela said. She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Jake is making breakfast." The girl squealed happily.

"Yes! Dad's cooking is awesome. Well, his is second best to Yolanda's." The girl grinned and then studied Angela's perplexed look. "Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Maya, and Jake and Colleen are my parents."

"I'm Angela; it's nice to meet you." Maya smiled.

"Angela…what a nice name!" she said. Angela smiled weakly, unknowing if she liked Maya's happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Thanks. Maya's a pretty name, too," she said finally. As if right on cue, Jake came out of the kitchen holding plates of steaming food. Yolanda and Colleen came out after him, holding more plates. They all sat down at a table. Jake casually passed out the food.

"So, I see you met Maya, Angela," he said, sitting down. Angela nodded.

"Yeah." She put a forkful of eggs in her mouth. Maya grinned.

"These are pretty good, Dad," she said between bites, "Chase's is still better, though." Yolanda laughed.

"Are you hearing much from him?" she asked eagerly. "I haven't heard from him in ages!"

"Nope," Maya said. "He never replies to any of my calls." Angela looked between Maya and Yolanda. The chef smiled.

"Oh, Chase is my apprentice, Angela," she said. "You probably won't be meeting him, though. The ocean's in a frenzy. Pascal said it's too rough to travel in, so Chase won't be coming back any time soon."

"Ah," Angela murmured quietly. She just wasn't in a talking mood. Angela set her fork down next to her empty plate. Jake smiled.

"I think we're all done here," he said. "Speaking of which, Hamilton did want you to see him as soon as you woke up…"

"Oh," Angela said, surprised. "The mayor?"

"That's the guy," Jake said. "I'll show you over to the square, where you're supposed to meet him." Angela nodded.

"Alright." She waved her goodbyes to the others back at the table before following Jake outside.

"The mayor's a card, you'll love him," Jake laughed. "He's very excited to meet you. He even has a couple of houses for you to pick from."

Angela blushed. "Wha…what? A house? But I don't have any money."

"Yes, he was aware of that. He also wanted you to know that the house was already paid in full."

Angela's blush deepened. "Oh no, no, no. I can't possibly…I'll get a job eventually and pay him back…"

"The mayor has his reasons for being generous, even though sometimes they can be costly. You can discuss that with him if you'd like. Oh, here he comes now."

"Angela! Angela, Angela!" Hamilton grinned, hurrying up the stairs to where Angela and Jake were waiting. "I'm so glad you're here. We've all been waiting for you!"

"Oh…really? I didn't think that moving here was going to be such a big deal…," Angela replied.

"Well, the fact is, you're the first real addition we've had to the island in over fifteen years! It's very unsettling, I know. For some reason, people keep leaving and not returning. I'm hoping though, with you coming here, it'll encourage others to move in also!"

Angela smiled. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

"We'll, I'm gonna leave you two alone so you can show her around," Jake said, "I've probably got to get back to work anyways. Have fun with your tour Angela, and if you need any help finding anything, or just want to stop for a quick bite to eat, don't hesitate to come back to the Sundae Inn."

Angela laughed. "Okay, see you later!"

"Well," the mayor sighed, "it seems you've already made some friends! Would you want me to show you around the island? Perhaps a tour to get you started?"

"Uh, yeah, that'd be great," Angela nodded, "but first I…wanted to talk to you about where I was going to be staying…"

"Oh, yes! I already have some available houses for you. All of them are situated in the Carmel River District just outside of town. Just pick whichever you'd like and it's yours!"

"Wait…, I dunno… I don't feel comfortable taking a house without paying anything….," Angela said.

"Actually, to tell you the truth Angela, all those houses were left by others who moved away from the island. If nobody takes them, they'll just sit there and wear away until we bulldoze them down. As for paying for it, if you'd like you can pay your full in service hours. I'm sure the citizens of the town would love some help with housework and shop maintenance."

"Okay, that makes me feel better. I'll do the community service."

"Well that's great!" Hamilton laughed. "I've heard from several people that the folks up at Souffle Farm are in need of a little help. I'll take you up there. But first I need to know what house you'll be staying in. They're all the same basic design, just in different locations. I think as of now, the houses available are either a house close to the town, a hilltop house, or a house by the river."

"Uh…., wow… I'm not sure. I've always been fond of the sea. But the house by the town would be easier and closer to everyone else… hm… I think I'll probably go with the river house. Even if it's further from town, I think I'd still appreciate the scenery."

"A wonderful choice! I'll get started fixing it up right away! It's probably going to take all day, though, so you might want to go do that work for Souffle Farm before heading there." Hamilton lead Angela down from the square and back to the Sundae Inn. "I'm sorry I can't lead you there. All you have to do is cut through Maple Lake District and follow the path all the way until you enter the Ganache Mine District. From there the farm is straight ahead!"

Angela paused. "Are you sure I can get there on my own?"

"You'll be fine!" Hamilton laughed, pushing her forward. "Once you're done, head back down to the Carmel River District and I'll be waiting at your new home!" He turned and waved before running off, leaving Angela alone in front of the inn.

She was having second thoughts as to whether or not to go in and ask for the directions again. "Naw, I can do this!" she muttered. She followed the colorful signs until she was out of town, then headed the direction Hamilton had steered her, unaware of the challenges she was about to face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter!!! Thanks to the reviewers, ur mom, Shimmerleaf, and Okapi95. Hope you all like this chapter!!**

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Chapter 2

Chase yawned and looked out the window of his room at the Inn. It was morning already, and yet it was just five minutes ago that he had flopped on his bed and fallen asleep. Well, at least it felt like five minutes ago. Chase rubbed his eyes wearily and got up. He walked groggily over to his dresser and changed into his favorite black shirt and his trusty maroon apron. The cook walked downstairs and was greeted by a cheery Ann.

"Morning, Chase!" the brunette chimed. Chase yawned again.

"Morning," he said. Sunlight streamed in through the Inn's tattered blinds. "What time is it?" Ann looked up from her cleaning.

"9:00," she said. "Why?"

"Just wondering," he replied. Chase sat down at a table and rubbed his temples. It had been just yesterday when he had received a boat ticket to Waffle Island. He still couldn't believe it. Gourmet had claimed his Orange Pie to be the "best thing he's ever tasted in his entire existence as a certified Gourmet" which had made Chase very surprised. He had not expected to win and he had not expected to get a boat ticket as a prize.

"Did you want anything to eat?" Ann asked. Chase shook his head. He just didn't feel hungry.

"Can you tell Doug that I'll be back at noon?" he asked. Ann nodded.

"Sure."

Chase grinned. "Thanks, Ann. Tell him I'm going to go head over to the Church and then the Supermarket. If I still have time after that, then I'll just be wandering around."

Ann stared at him. "Alright. I'll tell him."

"Thanks," Chase said. The cook stood up from his table and walked outside. Crisp spring air met him genially. Flowers bloomed in bright colors from the window boxes of the Inn and tiny buds bloomed on the trees. Chase walked on the northern path to the Church, where Pastor Carter greeted him at the entrance.

"I figured you would come, Chase," the priest said.

"Yeah. I just have so much to think about right now," Chase said. Carter motioned for him to follow him inside, so the cook did. The two sat down in a pew.

"So, are you really going to leave Mineral Town?" the priest asked. Chase shook his head in confusion.

"I-I don't really know," he murmured. "I can't decide if I want to or not."

Carter smiled. "Well, the boat doesn't leave for another two seasons, so you have plenty of time to consider your choice."

Chase sighed. "It's not that. It's just that I don't know if I want to leave behind all that I've ever known. I mean, my parents are here to stay forever. I can't change that; I can't help that they're buried in the graveyard. I don't know if I want to leave them just yet. I mean…" Chase swallowed. "…they were the only ones who ever cared about me." The priest looked at Chase contemplatively.

"What about Ms. Claire?" he asked. Chase flushed red.

"Claire?" he asked. The cook shook his head. "Claire just seems to have a thing for me. I don't feel the same way about her."

"Do you feel like that towards anyone in Mineral Town?"

Chase bit his lip. "No. I don't. At least I don't think so." Between his job and daily chores, he hadn't really had time to fall in love with any of the girls in the village, or even become good friends with them.

Carter smiled. "Well, then I think you should go to Waffle Island." Chase looked at him curiously.

"Why?"

The priest sighed. "Love is a strange thing. Have you ever considered that the one you're looking for is not here, but somewhere else?" Chase frowned.

"Pardon? Why are you so sure I won't just join the convent?"

Carter laughed silently. "You heard me loud and clear, Chase."

"No, I haven't considered it…and I don't think I want to," Chase muttered. "I'd much rather live alone than with someone else."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Chase grinned sheepishly. "I dunno… I like living by myself… with my own rules. No one to tell me where I have to be or what I have to do."

"Ah, but you always used to complain that everyone you knew was married or getting married, am I correct?" Chase blushed.

"I-I never said that!"

"You most certainly did. You complained to _me_, Chase."

The cook sighed. "That was years ago. I think…I've changed since my parents' accident."

"We all do that," Carter said. "But are you really changed, or are you just using that as an excuse to cover up your true feelings?" Chase looked down. For a long time, no one said anything, but a long sigh from Chase broke the silence.

"It's just an excuse, Carter," the cook said. "Before the accident…I was different. I guess I was actually happy. I wanted to fall in love; I wanted to have a family. After the accident, I still wanted all that, but I was too overwhelmed with what happened to realize that I still could. I could have a family; I could be happy again. I just didn't realize it. I was blind to reality."

Carter grinned. "Did you just hear yourself, Chase?" The cook looked up.

"Yeah. But what does that…?" Chase trailed off. He knew now; he understood.

"So do you see what you should do?" Carter asked. Chase nodded and stood up.

"I should go to Waffle Island," he said. The cook breathed a sigh of relief. The weight on his shoulders was gone; he was no longer stressed. In two seasons' time, he would be on a boat to his new life and his new future. It was like a dream come true…

Carter smiled sadly. "It'll be lonely without you here, Chase."

The cook laughed. "Like you said earlier, I'm not leaving just yet. I have two seasons left, so don't worry about missing me, Carter. I'll come back often." The priest smiled and nodded.

"I guess you're right, Chase," he said. "But I think you should be getting back to the kitchen about now. Doug will be upset if you're not there on time." Chase looked at his watch and cursed silently. It was 11:00 and he still had to go to the supermarket.

"You're right. I'd better go," Chase said. As he was leaving, he turned to Carter and smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," the priest replied. Chase waved a goodbye and then ran outside. It took him ten full minutes to get to the supermarket, and by the time he had bought all the cooking supplies and began heading back to the Inn, it was well past noon. When he got back, Doug was waiting by the door, his foot tapping impatiently.

"It's about time," Doug said. "I should hope that you got _everything_ that I asked for."

Chase nodded. "I got everything. Sorry I'm late. I was talking with Carter."

Doug nodded understandingly. "That's what Ann said. Hurry inside now; we've got a lot to cook if we want the surprise party to be a success."

_-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-__-_-_-_-_-_

"Let's go Chase! Under the table!"

"Ugh… I can't fit under there!"

"Geez! Stop squirming! Get down here!"

"Shhh! She's coming!"

"What's going on here?....Why are you guys under the table?"

Ann jumped up, dragging Chase along with her. "Happy birthday, Claire!" She ran over and gave her a hug. "You didn't think we forgot, did you?"

Claire flushed red, her eyes sparkling as she examined the restaurant. Streamers and balloons were tied around every chair and sparkling confetti coated the floor. "Wow! You guys did this all for me?" Even the cake was taller than she was, practically tipping over with all the icing and sugar.

"Yup! Chase and Doug did all the cooking, Karen and I organized the decorations, and everyone else provided the gifts!"

"That's the best present you could get!" Doug laughed. "A free dinner on your birthday!"

Claire smiled, biting her lip. "This is incredible, guys! Thank you so much!"

"No need to be shy," Carter smiled, patting Claire on the back. "You deserve it with all your hard work. Chase worked his butt off preparing this food!"

"Awww! Thanks Chase!" She blushed and grabbed his arm, pulling him into a hug.

Chase grimaced. "Uhh…yeah…but Kai did some of it to…I wasn't the only one…"

"Excuse me?" Kai looked over cautiously. "Oh no, not this time…I…"

"Aw, Kai!" Claire released Chase and scooped Kai into a hug. Kai looked over at Chase angrily, his face buried in Claire's long, blonde hair.

Ann smacked Chase in the stomach. "Geez, Chase! The least you could do is give her what she wants on her birthday!"

"What are you talking about?" Chase asked, rubbing his stomach tenderly. "I worked for five hours preparing this food. I even got her a gift!"

"The whole town knows she's into you. At least act like you're interested back."

Chase gulped. "The whole town…seriously? I didn't know that…"

"That's because you live under a rock. And from what I know, she has no idea you're leaving."

"What?!" Chase ran his hands through his hair. "Well, that's not my problem. We were never really together or anything…right?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Claire skipped back over, her face glowing with excitement.

"We were about to start dinner, if that's okay," Doug intervened.

"Oh boy, yes! That would be great!"

"Alright, then. Let's get started!" People sat themselves down and tables and Claire beckoned for Chase to sit next to her. The cook looked at Ann, whose look perfectly said, "If you don't sit next to her you'll be sitting in a bed at the Clinic!" Chase gulped and sat down next to Claire.

"Wow, Chase, the food looks great!" Claire exclaimed as she speared a piece of her meal with her fork. "You and Kai must've worked so hard!"

"Er…yeah, we did," Chase murmured. He looked down wearily at the food, which he was too upset to eat. Claire, on the other hand, was shoving food into her mouth greedily. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the food too. Chase sighed and got up from the table and went outside. Claire looked at him curiously before standing up and following him. When she got to him, Chase was sitting on a bench, his empty eyes staring longingly up at the stars.

"Are you ok, Chase?" Claire asked. Chase nodded and looked at his feet. Claire sat down next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Claire."

The farmer sighed. "It's a beautiful night tonight…"

Chase looked at Claire. "Yeah….pretty stars…" Chase felt uncomfortable. This conversation was the kind that you would imagine to read in romance novels, in which the characters swoon and bat their eylashess while confessing their love for each other. Chase scooted away from Claire.

Claire grinned. "I loved the party! It was a lot of fun. Thanks, Chase."

Chase managed a weak smile back. "We weren't there for very long. About a half hour or so..."

"I don't care. This is one of the birthdays I'll always remember," Claire murmured.

"Glad you liked it." Chase's blood ran cold as Claire felt around in her rucksack. She pulled something out and hid it in her pocket. Chase pretended not to notice it.

"Can I ask you something, Chase?" Claire asked softly. Chase had a sinking feeling in his stomach. _Oh, Goddess, no...._

"T-That depends on what it is...." The farmer pulled out a blue feather and looked at him.

"Will you marry me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**This was a fun chapter to write, since one of my favorite pairings is AngelaxGill, which is hinted in this chapter. :) Anyway, thanks to my reviewers, Okapi95, Shimmerleaf, and Random Jelly Beans. Sorry for the mean cliffhanger, but I'm alternating chapters, which means that this is Angela's. Chase will be next.**

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Chapter 3

"I want you back by five, alright, Angela?" Ruth looked up from her flower arrangement, her eyes narrowing at the girl before her. "Angela? Did you hear me?"

"Uh…yeah. Sure, Ruth," Angela said, stuffing strawberries into her rucksack. She grinned. "I'll be back before five. Promise."

"See you then." Before Ruth could say another word, Angela bolted from the shop, ready to prove her worthiness and begin her first assignment: find three people to give strawberries too. Unfortunately, her overconfidence got her nowhere; moments later she was forced to stop and pull out her trusty town map.

"Let's see," Angela murmured. "Where can I find someone to give these to….?"

"Try the Church, Scrawny." Angela turned around abruptly and came face-to-face with a tall man wearing a red hat.

"Oh…it's just you, Craig." She sighed. "You scared me."

"At the Church you can find Gill, the Mayor's son. He goes there every Sunday and he's a fan of our crops. I'm sure he'd accept a strawberry," Craig said.

Angela nodded. "Thanks for the tip."

"Welcome, Scrawny. I'd hurry along if I were you, though. If you dawdle then you won't be back in time." Craig waved goodbye to Angela and then headed towards the farm's fields. Angela stuffed her map back in her pocket and walked down the path, eventually entering Maple Lake District. She scanned around for anything that might help her in her time here later, determined to memorize everything as soon as possible.

The Church wasn't very hard to find. It sat on the top of a hill, and with its tall steeple, it wasn't hard to miss. Angela smiled and scurried up the path. The outside of the Church was gloomy. It looked like it hadn't been used in a long time; even the rusty door handle looked old and neglected. Angela cautiously entered the building.

The walls were made of dark gray stones. A dusty red carped covered the floor, and a few rows of pews lay parallel to each other. Angela looked around and shuddered. _**This **__is a church? _She thought_. It looks like a mausoleum!_

"Hello?" she called. There was no answer. "Is anyone here?" Angela walked up the aisle and looked around the altar and up at the stain glass windows. It looked like no one was here, which must mean that…

"Craig!" Angela cursed. "That rotten liar! Now I'll never get back in time!" _Great, _she though._ Just great._ Angela grimaced unhappily and looked at her watch, gasping when she saw the time. It was 4:15, which meant she only had forty-five minutes left. Angela grimaced and ran outside, forcing the church door open. Apparently a little too hard, since she slammed the door against something hard and sturdy and crashed backwards onto the ground. Angela clutched her chest, trying to catch her breath.

"Ouch!" The person she crashed into stumbled back a few paces and rubbed his head. "What was that for? Are you blind or something?" Angela flushed red. The man criticizing her stared at her intently, his blue eyes blazing.

"Sorry," she mumbled, getting up. "I was just leaving."

"No, no, I'm sorry," he apologized, quickly giving Angela a hand. "That was rude of me. You must be Angela. My name is Gill Hamilton."

Angela groaned, clutching the pew behind her to sturdy herself. "Geez, what'd you weigh, three hundred pounds?"

Gill looked at her annoyingly, clearly not amused. "Um…yes. That is clearly the case."

Angela looked away awkwardly. "Ah. Well, I'd better be going. Oh wait! First….would you like a strawberry?" She took the fruit out of her bag, offering it to Gill. "Courtesy of Souffle Farm!" He looked at her and took the strawberry.

"Thanks…?"

Angela grinned. "Welcome. Now I've got only two more to deliver!" Her enthusiasm quickly died out when she realized that it was almost five. "Oh, yeah. Stupid time. Er…I've gotta go if I want to make it back to Souffle Farm in time. Bye, Gill!" Angela ran down the hill bolted down the path.

"Wait, Angela!" Gill came running after her. "It's my fault you're late….I'll help you deliver the strawberries, if you want…"

"Um…" Angela blushed. "That's nice of you…Thanks."

Gill grinned. "No problem. But don't think this'll become a regular thing. Now, Jin lives just up the other hill, so we can give one to him. Oh, yeah, and Yolanda walks around here often so it'll be no problem trying to find her."

"Yeah. Let's go, and we'd better hurry!" The two of them found Jin and Yolanda and delivered the strawberries. When Angela got back to Souffle Farm, the clock had just struck five. The sun was already setting and Angela was beginning to feel tired.

"Thanks, Gill," she murmured. "I would've never finished without you."

Gill laughed. "Well, it was my fault that you were late in the first place! You're welcome. Anyway, have a good night; I'd better be getting home." He waved to Angela and then walked down the path to the Maple Lake District, his hands in his pockets. Angela smiled happily and ran inside the house. She was greeted by Ruth, who brightened immediately when she saw Angela.

"I was wondering where you were!" Ruth exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're back. Craig was in an awful mood. Half of his strawberries were nibbled on by some chipmunk that lives around here."

Angela sighed. "It's good to be back, Ruth. Listen…can I get going? I'm really worn out from running around all afternoon…"

Ruth nodded understandingly. "Of course. Oh! Mayor Hamilton called us about your house. It doesn't seem to be ready yet, so he told us to offer you a room. You and Anissa can share a room together. Make yourself at home!"

"Thank you," Angela sighed. She was so worn out she didn't even care that she was spending the night with a family she hardly knew.

"We'll see you in the morning. Good night, Angela."

"Good night." Angela yawned and walked to her room. She pulled her nightgown out of her bag and changed into it before lying down on her bed. Sleep engulfed her almost instantly.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Angela? Angela, wake up!" a worried voice called. "Wake up!" Angela bolted upward. She was instantly hit with a wave of nausea. Anissa looked down at her with a worried expression on her face.

"A-Anissa?" Angela asked. "What happened? I feel terrible…"

"You've got a fever. Mom and Dad went to fetch Dr. Jin. You should lie down and try to rest." Angela collapsed on the bed, her head throbbing painfully.

"Do you know what I have?"

Anissa shook her head. "We think it's just a case of the flu, but we could be wrong. We don't want to take any chances."

Angela groaned. "Whatever it is, I hope it goes away soon…I feel awful…"

"Just relax," Anissa murmured. She turned around and looked in the other room. "Oh! Mom's just got back with Dr. Jin. I'll go get them!" Anissa gave Angela weak smile before exiting the room. Angela sighed and closed her eyes. She had been in the middle of another one of those dreams with the goddess-like lady in it. Somehow, these dreams always distressed her. They always left her confused and feeling like there was something she wasn't quite getting.

"Angela's in here, Doctor. Please hurry!"

"Hello, Angela. How are you?"

Angela groaned, looking up at her doctor. His straight black hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, she noticed, and his fingers began pulling back her eyelids.

"Yup."

"What is it? Is she going to be okay?" Angela was taken back at how much these strangers cared about her. She suddenly felt extremely grateful for all that they had done, and wished she could return their favor of hospitality. Anissa grabbed Angela's hand comfortingly, only adding to Angela's guilt.

"Yes. All she has is the flu," Jin explained. "Nothing serious, but she shouldn't be walking around much. Make sure to rest and drink lots of fluids."

"Thank you doctor," Anissa replied, bowing politely.

"Please. Call me Jin." He smiled before turning and leaving the room, leaving Anissa and her family alone with Angela.

"Thank you for caring so much," she thanked lamely. "You hardly even know me…"

"No need to thank us, sweetie!" Ruth smiled. "You're the first person that's come to this island in a long time! We want to make you feel as welcome as possible."

"Oh…. well thanks anyways…,"

"Oh a brighter note…," Craig said, "Hamilton said your new home is ready. Perhaps you would like to go and see it?"

Angela's face brightened instantly. "Oh, yes please!" She stood up, probably a little too quickly, and instantly collapsed back onto the bed. "Ugh…maybe later…"

Craig chuckled. "Sure thing, scrawny. Maybe if you weren't so scrawny, things like this wouldn't happen to you."

"Dad!" Anissa scolded. "You're making her uncomfortable. If you need anything Angela, just tell us, okay?"

"Well, right now I just think I need to rest. Thank you though."

"Maybe if you're up to it we can see your new place tomorrow," Ruth suggested.

"Yeah. That sounds good." Angela blinked her eyes groggily as the family left the room, leaving her alone to think. She was extremely excited to see her new home, but she knew as soon as she left, she wouldn't have the luxuries of a free breakfast or a friendly family to wake up to. She was somewhat nervous about living on her own.

"Tomorrow….tomorrow…," she sighed. Whatever she had to worry about, that was tomorrow's problem.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long wait; I had a few Internet troubles. Anyway, I'd like to thank my reviewers Shimmerleaf and Okapi95. I hope you like this chapter!! Please review!**

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Chapter 4

Claire looked so hopeful as she clutched that blue feather. Her eyes stared directly through the young cook, trying to find the answer she was waiting for. She grabbed his hand and pulled it close to her, for good measure.

Chase gulped, unsure of what to do. He curled his free fingers through his hair nervously. "Uh…."

"So?" Claire encouraged. "What do you say? You know what this is, don't you?"

"A blue feather. Right. It means a marriage proposal."

"Well, you got that part right! What do you say? Will you marry me, Chase?"

"We've only known each other for a few seasons…," he began. He immediately regretted saying it; her eyes fell and she released his hand.

"Claire, wait. Let me think about it, okay? I'm just….a little unsure… Please don't cry!" Chase pulled Claire into a warm hug, cradling her as she cried into his shoulder.

"I really thought you liked me, Chase….," she sniffed. "I mean, we went to the Starry Night Festival and shared Thanksgiving together... I thought…"

"Claire," Chase began. "There's nothing left for me in Mineral Town. There never was anything for me. I've never been able to live up to Doug's cooking. People hardly notice me—"

"I notice you!" Claire interrupted, starting to cry again. She iron locked Chase in the hug, trapping him.

"Claire, I know you notice me. I just don't think it was meant to be. You understand that, don't you?"

"I don't think I do." Claire sniffled. "But what do you m-mean, 'There's nothing left for me in Mineral Town'? Are you l-leaving?"

Chase gulped. "Yeah. I'm leaving. But don't cry, Claire. I might visit…sometimes…" Claire looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with sorrow.

"At least let me come with you!" Chase shook his head and pushed Claire away from him.

"I'm sorry, Claire. There's only one ticket, and I know that I need to go. It's just…I need to find something worthwhile to do in my life. I've got to go and find a new calling. Cooking here is just impossible because of Doug's skills. Maybe I'll have better luck at Waffle Island. I'm sorry," Chase murmured. "But I have to go."

"Don't, Chase!" Claire wailed. "I don't want you to go!" The farmer broke into another bout of hysteric sobs.

"Claire?" Chase asked wearily. "D-Don't cry. Please, no more crying."

Claire sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "S-So I guess this means that you don't love me. You never did."

"I'm sorry, Claire," Chase said. "Really, I am. But…you're right." He pushed the hand that held her feather back towards her. Claire gave it one look and then let it fall to the ground.

"I have to go," she said. "Goodbye, Chase." Claire turned and bolted away from Chase, heading back to the Inn, leaving him alone with the feather at his feet. Chase picked it up and stroked its shimmering blue plumes. He sighed and then slowly walked back to Claire's party. When he got inside, he was bombarded with questions from an angry Ann.

"What did you say?" she asked him, half screaming. "Why are you holding that? What happened?"

"Ann." Chase sighed. "I tried to be nice. I really did. She just…didn't want to face the truth." Shock was written over Ann's face. It quickly morphed into anger.

"Chase, I can't believe you," Ann said, kicking him in the shins. "I told you she wouldn't handle it well! Now look what you've done! She ran upstairs and won't come out of the room!"

"I can't help that!" Chase exclaimed, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his leg. "I don't love her! I told her I was leaving, too, and she got all sad! If she didn't know now, she would've been more upset later!"

Ann looked around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. "Listen, Chase," she hissed in his ear. "I don't care if you were 'trying to be nice' but you have to go upstairs now and make things right. That doesn't mean that you have to marry her, but it means you have to at least be friends with her. And if you don't, I swear Chase, these last few seasons will be the worst in your life."

Chase gulped and nodded hastily.

"Get up there," she growled. "Now." She pushed Chase towards the stairs, causing him to trip and hit his already bruised leg again. He stumbled up the stairs, clutching his knee.

"Ann! What the heck?" He turned around to show Ann his bleeding leg. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Suck it up!" she yelled back. "Be a man, Chase!"

Chase let out a steam of curses, hopping up the stairs on one foot until he reached Claire's room. He cleared his throat, mentally preparing for what was to come, before knocking hesitantly on the door.

"Claire?"

At first he couldn't hear anything. He pressed his ear against the door. "Claire?"

She was crying; he could hear her now. "Claire?" His heart sank, his fingers running along the wooden door frame. She was sobbing softly into a pillow.

He opened the door slowly, peeking inside. There she was, crying into a pillow. Or rather, crying into someone else's shoulder. Chase had to look twice before he realized that Claire was crying into Gray, who had his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"Gray?"

"Why are you here, Chase?" Claire interrupted, pulling away from her friend.

"I, uh….I didn't think we communicated well, before…."

Claire stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Chase gulped nervously; Gray wasn't looking too friendly at the moment.

He sighed. "Claire, I'm sorry. I know you like me."

Claire let out a small sob, her eyes tearing up.

"Okay, okay. I know you…love….me," Chase corrected. Gray's eyes were becoming unusually dark and angry. Chase could have sworn he also heard a quiet curse usher from the blacksmith's mouth.

"Get out, Chase," Gray growled, pulling Claire back into a hug.

"What?"

Claire was crying again. Long, heavy sobs echoed around the room. Ann could probably hear them now. Any moment she would come bursting through the doors, ready to protect her friend, who just had her heart—

"I said get out!" Gray yelled. Chase snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes coming back into focus. He suddenly felt an extreme pain in his leg; he had to force himself not to look. Maybe neither of them would notice he was bleeding all over the carpet.

"No," he said firmly. "I need to speak with Claire." He glanced over at her. She didn't seem to be rejecting the idea. "Alone."

"You'll probably yell at her some more, or break her heart or something!"

"Gray…," Claire whispered, untangling herself from his arms. "It's okay. I'll meet you downstairs, all right?" It took him a moment to react. Gray looked like someone had just punched him, his face torn between a sense of confusion and longing.

"It…it's what you want…" He stared at her lovingly, stroking her hair.

Claire nodded.

Chase waited until Gray was safely out of the room before beginning. "Claire, I—"

She broke him off, pulling the surprised blonde closer before pressing her lips softly to his. The kiss only lasted for a moment before Chase broke away, but his mind made it feel like minutes. Chase gasped and stepped back a few paces.

"Wh…what?" Chase stuttered. "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. Claire… This is _never_ going to happen. I…I don't love you!" He was surprised by the sternness in his own voice.

She was crying already. "So….I guess….it's true. You don't love me. You didn't feel anything?"

Chase shook his head, wanting so badly to comfort her. "No. Nothing." He reached out before pulling away. "I can't, Claire. I want to be friends, really. But I don't know if that's ever going to be enough for you."

"It won't."

The answer was so simple, Chase was lost at words.

"So that's it, I guess," he murmured after a while. "At least take this back." He pulled out the crumpled blue feather, shoving it towards her.

She shook her head frantically. "I can't… It'll only….remind me…"

Chase sighed, trying not to sound annoyed. "Fine! Then it will sit here on this desk forever!" He flung the feather onto the desk beside her, his face red with anger. "There's no way to please you, is there! What am I supposed to do? Everything I try ends with you crying!"

"Wouldn't you cry if your one true love rejected you?" Claire yelled, her face streaked with tears. "You will never be able to understand a woman's heart!"

"You're right," Chase muttered. "I never will."

They stared at each other for a long time, Claire's sobs dying down to soft whimpers. She finally stopped, her face still a little pink.

"I want to you have it anyways."

"Have what?" Chase asked, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"The blue feather." She held it up for him to take, her eyes already fogging up.

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Please. Take it just in case. Maybe I can come visit you once you move in. I know you'll find the perfect woman some day, even if it's not me."

Chase took the feather from her. "Maybe I will." There was a long pause. "Or maybe I won't. You never know." Claire smiled weakly.

"I do, Chase. I want to be friends."

Chase smiled. "Thanks, Claire." He pulled her into a hug. "At least you'll always have Gray."

Claire looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Chase laughed. "He's totally head-over-heels for you."

"Yeah, well…." Claire sighed. "He's just a friend to me."

Chase nodded understandingly. "Like us, huh?"

Claire didn't answer, only tightened her grip on Chase. "Yeah. Like us. Exactly."

Chase unhooked her fingers from his waist. "I have to go."

"At least let my bandage you up," Claire objected. Chase blushed.

"I hoped you wouldn't notice…," Chase smiled, glancing down at his bleeding leg.

"It's the least I can do." Claire grabbed a cloth from her bedside and wrapped it tenderly around his leg. Chase sighed with relief.

"It's good to get that out of the way. Thanks."

Claire smiled. "You're welcome. And…I hope these last few seasons are happy for you, Chase."

Chase grinned. "Thanks. I hope they're happy too." Claire smiled again before heading back downstairs to the party.

Ann was smiling. "You patched that up well, Chase. I'm proud of you."

"How did you know?"

"Claire came down behind you smiling like crazy."

Chase laughed. "Yeah. Glad that's over with."

Gray looked over at Chase from across the room, his arms around Claire. He released her before storming over to young cook, his hands balled up into fists. "You!" The blacksmith snarled. "I can't believe you!"

"What?" Chase asked sleepily, trying to doge around Gray. "What did I do wrong?"

"No." Gray grabbed Chase's arm roughly. "What did you do to Claire?"

"Nothing! Get out of the way!" Chase yelled. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Gray asked, turning a darker shade of red. "What's wrong with me? You're the one with the problem, Chase!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Chase glared at Gray. "And I don't care. Get out of the way!"

"I told you, no! Do you know how much pain you've caused me, Chase? Do you know how bad it hurt when I realized that she loves you instead of me? And then she told you that we're 'just friends'!"

"Oh," Chase murmured. "Listen, I'm sorry about that, but I can't help it that Claire likes me! We already established that we're not going to be in a relationship. So now you have a chance, right?"

"I don't have a chance." Chase could've sworn he saw fire in the blacksmith's eyes. "And I can't help that. But I can help that you're going to hurt just as bad as me!" Chase's eyes widened as Gray's fist hit him squarely in the jaw. Chase crashed to the ground, his vision blurred.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Gray snarled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Chase cried, standing up quickly. "I did nothing wrong! I know you're upset, but you can't take it out on me!"

"How come you never act like this normally? Trying to make me back off with sweet talk? Well, I'm not going to, Chase. In fact, I'm _glad _you're going to Waffle Island."

"Me too! At least I don't have to deal with punks like you!"

Gray laughed angrily. "Whatever. I don't want to see you again. Get out of here." He shoved him aside before storming out of the restaurant.

"Uhhh…," Chase sighed, wiping blood away from his mouth.

"That boy has a hell of a punch, huh?" Ann laughed, patting Chase on the back. "At least he's out of your way. I was afraid of him making a scene." The restaurant had become unusually quiet.

"Chase!" Claire cried, running over to him. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry… I told him what happened, but…"

"You're boyfriend hates me," Chase laughed.

Claire blushed. "He's not my boyfriend. Just a friend." Chase smiled.

"I'm glad we're friends," Chase grinned. "See you later, Claire."


	5. Chapter 5

**My sister and I finally have the next chapter done! Hooray! It's actually our longest so far, which is pretty cool. I'd like to thank my one and only reviewer for that last chapter, Shimmerleaf. I know that all or most people prefer Chase's chapters, but Angela's side of the story will start to get interesting very soon. Please, please, please, review!**

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Chapter 5

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_**2 seasons later....**_

**_---_**

"I thought your favorite color was blue?"

Gill laughed, tucking his silver hair behind his ears. "It is my favorite color. But, personally, I think the green wallpaper fits your house better."

Angela looked at him skeptically. "You sure? Once it's chosen, there's no going back."

"Angela! It's your house!" Gill smiled. "I shouldn't be having any say in it anyways!"

"But I_ like_ your opinion!" Angela pouted. She flipped through her copy of Homes for the Helpless once more before chucking it across the room.

"You don't need it," Gill smiled. He walked over and picked up the crinkled magazine.

"I crave it," Angela protested. "You know I'm bad with design and fashion and stuff." She sighed, resting her head in her hands. "Without your help, my house might as well be doomed to a state of ugly gray walls and scratchy carpet." She looked up. "Uh, Gill…you okay?"

"Mmm?….yeah…" Gill looked away, his fingers tapping noisily against the wooden table. "Actually, Angela, I —"

"Shhh!" Angela whispered, pressing her finger to his mouth. Gill's eyes widened.

"Angela, what are you—"

"There came a small creak from beside her. She knew the rustling she had been hearing wasn't just her imagination. "I think your dad's listening to us."

There was a crash as a slightly flustered Hamilton appeared from the behind the sofa.

"Father!" Gill yelled, standing up quickly. "Wha…what are you doing here! I thought you had a meeting with…with Mayor Thomas!"

"Oh, uh," Hamilton cleared his throat nervously. "Well, yes, I did." His face was distorted and a slightly purple color, as if he had been holding his breath.

"Were…were you spying on us?" Gill fumed, storming over to his father. "I can't believe you! What gives you the right to listen in on our conversation?"

"Gill, I… I will not be talked to that way by my own son! You told me you were going to wait before getting in a relationship again anyways!"

"Wh…what?" Gill spluttered, his face bright red. "I…..I never said…We're not in a relationship! We're just friends!" With that, he grabbed Angela's hand and dragged her out the door, making sure to slam it loudly on the way out.

"Are you sure you're not overreacting just a bit?" Angela asked, trying not to trip as Gill pulled her up the path. Gill said nothing, only quickened his pace before turning around the corner, his house now out of view. "Where are we going?"

Gill suddenly stopped and turned around, his face unusually red. He looked feverishly to both sides before saying, "Uh…sorry about my father. He can be…you know…"

"Oh, it's fine. He's just being a good parent, that's all." She studied his face; he looked slightly embarrassed. Angela smiled comfortingly. Gill's character had changed so much since they first met. When she had first met him, he was stuck up and selfish (which never actually seemed to change, only lessening slowly each day). Now they were best friends. He was always trying to make the relationship work, even covering up his own feelings to make sure she was always taken care of. Angela sighed. These thoughts weren't really helping her red-face issue, which was beginning to become a problem.

"He shouldn't be butting his head in my business," Gill muttered. "I'm an adult now. I can take care of myself." He looked down at her curiously, his hand reaching out instinctively. "Angela? What's wrong?"

She pulled away from his touch, as if it had burned him. His eyes were so innocent. She took a deep breath, trying not to give him the wrong impression. "Gill? I…" Her face was burning now, she could feel it. "We're friends, right?"

At this his eyes fell, his mouth open in surprise. "Uh…" He tugged at the hem of his sweater nervously. "Yeah. Just friends."

"No! That's not…. I mean, you always act so nice to me, but I never seem to return the favor…"

There was a long pause. "Then why don't you?" Gill was a good four or five inches taller than Angela was, and sometimes that fact was quite intimidating.

"I just….you're so generous and nice and caring…. You still like me, right? I… I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for everything you've done…"

Gill smiled sweetly. "That's not what you'd have said two seasons ago."

Angela smiled half-heartedly. She really wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Just tell me. You still like me, right Gill? Even if I can't ever live up to you?"

He reached down, his finger tracing across her cheek. "Yeah. We'll always be friends." His voice cracked. "Always."

Angela breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow. Glad I got that off my chest. I just felt like you kept doing nice things for me, and I wouldn't really appreciate you as much as I should, and…"

"Angela."

"…and I remember last week you gave me that cold medicine, and that was really useful, but I never really…"

"Angela."

"…thanked you for that. I tried to thank you when you helped me clear my field but I didn't think you…"

"Angela," Gill said firmly, grabbing her hands. He smiled, rolling his eyes. "My dad's listening to us. Again."

"Wh…what? I…," Hamilton peered out from behind a bush, pieces of leaves and twigs buried in his gray hair. "How did you…?"

"Father. I swear on my life. Angela and I are _just _friends." Angela nodded, watching as Waffle Town's mayor crawled out of a giant bush, his shirt torn in places and mud covering part of his cheek. It was a slightly embarrassing sight.

"Well, I…that time I was making sure…"

"Goodbye Father."

Angela laughed the whole way back to her house, stumbling up against Gill as he tried to steady her.

"I can't believe your dad!" she giggled. "I think even that's a little over the top!"

Gill smirked. "That's the leader of our town. By day, a harmless mayor. By night, a dangerous savage, sneaking up on his prey. Kinda scary, huh?"

Angela smiled as she ran across the bridge, which had been conveniently built when she asked for the river side plot. She leaned over the wooden frame, staring down at her reflection in the clear water. "What's your favorite season, Gill?" She now felt unusually giddy.

"Oh, uh… I dunno," he answered plainly. "Perhaps winter. I always loved the quiet feel of snow. Everything seems to slow down when it gets colder." He picked up a few pebbles and tossed them into the water one by one.

Angela looked down at herself, suddenly noticing her hair wasn't much to her liking. She raked her fingers through it frantically, trying to untangle it to look more presentable. "I like spring. I'm not sure why. Trees resurface and plants bloom and all sorts of stuff! Besides, I'm not sure if I like being cold," Angela said, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm. "It's getting colder already."

"That's just because you're too thin. You need to eat more meat." Gill was smiling down at her. He took a breath, as if preparing himself, before adding, "Angela, actually what I was going to tell you earlier…"

Angela looked at him cautiously; his face was getting red again. She silently prayed to the Goddess he wasn't about to reveal that he was secretly love with her. To most people, that would be a stretch, but she'd known for a while that he had a crush on her. Thinking about getting into a relationship with her best friend seemed like something that would only make things worse.

He liked her. She didn't like him back.

Sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

"…and I really think we should try, you know, to make this work. I'm sure everyone would be okay with it. My father would be delighted…," Gill rambled, the last few words dying off incoherently. "Uh…Angela?"

"Listen, Gill, I don't think this can work….," Angela began, her voice softer than she had hoped. She tried to avoid his eyes.

"Are you serious, Angela? Cause I really thought we could…it's not hard at all! And we can both see them and it would be really easy and —"

"Wait, what?" Angela interrupted. "We can both see what? Your secret love for me?"

"Wh…no!" Gill sputtered, his face still pink. "I was talking about creating the rainbow recipes!"

"The whosawhat?"

Gill took a deep breath. "Angela…" He was laughing now. "I know you don't like me like that anyways."

"Aw, Gill, no…I…,"

"It's okay. It's happened to me before…" Gill grinned. "I can take it." He rubbed his hand through his hair (one of his many habits).

"Luna? But you said…you said you broke up with her," Angela said suspiciously, leaning up against a nearby tree.

Gill was looking uncomfortable now. "Well, actually, she never liked me the way I liked her. That's probably why she moved away. It was getting too awkward," Gill sighed. "I don't want to lose you the way I lost her. It's okay for me to just be friends."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Now what about those rainbow whos?"

Gill laughed. "The rainbow recipes. Have you ever seen a harvest sprite? They look kinda like elves, but they only come up to my knee."

"Nope."

"You've seen none at all?" Gill looked shocked. "Well, uh…maybe you can't really see them…I just assumed…that you…"

"You thought that I could see them because I'm the new farmer who's supposed to bring peace and happiness to the island?" Angela guessed.

"Actually, that's pretty much why I assumed it." Gill grinned. "Well, that's okay. I'll just get the recipes and save the Harvest Goddess myself."

"Wait…who?" Angela gave him a stunned look. Gill smirked.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Er….no."

"The Harvest Goddess is—was—the guardian of this island. She looks sort of like…well, It's kind of hard to explain…" Gill frowned. "Wait! I know, we'll go to the mine and I'll show you the ruins!"

"The mine?" Angela asked. "What ruins? I didn't see any ruins while I was there…"

"Have you ever been past floor two?"

"Wait, what floor two?"

Gill laughed. "Never mind. Come on, and bring your hammer." Gill grabbed Angela's hand, making her blush slightly, and dragged her in the direction of the Ganache Mine District. After twenty minutes of power walking, Angela had to stop and catch her breath.

"Angela…," Gill began, watching her wheeze. "We've only been walking for a while…"

"I know, I…" She suddenly stopped. "Aww! Look at the cat! Look at it, Gill! It's so cute!" The tiny kitten was sitting by the edge of the lake, licking its paws.

"Er…yeah, adorable," Gill said, frowning as the cat glared at him.

"I know! You can give it some fish to make it happier," Angela said, pulling out her trusty fishing rod. After a few minutes, the farmer handed Gill a large, wet, and disgusting looking dead fish.

"Um…here, kitty. Do you want this? It's all yours," he cooed. The cat sniffed the animal and then hissed, lashing its paw out angrily at Gill.

"What the heck?" he exclaimed, making Angela burst into laughter. He chucked the fish at the cat, who lunged towards it eagerly.

"I don't think it likes you." Angela said, trying to hide the grin on her face.

"Yeah. I'm not really an animal person." Gill sighed, watching the cat gnaw at the dead fish. "Let's just keep moving. It'll probably attack me if we stick around." The two continued to go through Maple Lake until they arrived at the Ganache Mine District.

"It seems like only yesterday that I was working at that little farm!" Angela smiled, motioning towards Souffle Farm. "Now I am a bigger, better farm, worthy of even the highest quality crops and animals! I bet I could take them in a contest any day!" It had been a joke, but Gill was clearly not amused.

"Actually, Angela, the tomatoes on your farm look like they're dead, even though you planted them a week ago. I don't think they'd stand a change next to these…" He stroked one of the bright-red tomatoes delicately.

"I was joking, Gill," Angela frowned, punching him playfully in the stomach. "You're acting like your father. Loosen up a bit."

"Well, who else is going to run this town when he's done his term?" Gill said seriously, puffing his chest out. Angela sighed. There was no use arguing with him.

"Well, we're here."

"Er…wow…the mine sure looks dark compared to out here." Angela was silently praying that Gill had been wrong about there being multiple floors. At least floor one had the light from outside.

"Are you seriously scared?" Gill laughed. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. This sign is probably telling us to watch out for moles or something." He leaned over and squinted his eyes, trying to read the sloppy handwriting. "Watch…out…for pit…falls."

"What?!" Angela shoved him aside, quickly rereading the sign. "Great," she grumbled. "That's awesome." Already she was wishing she had just lied and told him she had seen an elf or whatever it was called. Oh well. It was too late now.

"Angela? If you fall down a pitfall, I'll jump in after you. You have nothing to worry about." Angela looked up at him, expecting to see him smirking, but instead his face was serious. He patted her on the back. "I'm not joking. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He smiled. "Besides, you need to know how to mine. If you work hard enough at it, the mine can become a big money-earner."

"Sure thing, Captain," she mocked. "We're not here to mine anyways."

Gill grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the mine (with quite a bit of effort on his behalf), before stopping right in front of the stairwell.

"How can you miss something like this?" Gill questioned, nudging the wooden stairs with his toe.

"Oh, I dunno… You know me, answer it yourself."

"Just cause you're afraid of the dark doesn't mean you have to be afraid of the mine," Gill replied, his voice quieter. "Just bring a lantern or something."

"Does it look like I have money for a lantern?" Angela's eyes flicked nervously back towards the entrance. "In case you haven't noticed, the farming hasn't really been working out all that well."

Gill crossed his arms, clearly fed up with her excuses. "Well, I guess I'll just go by myself. Later, Angela." With a final wave, he disappeared down the stairs and out of sight, his footsteps echoing around the tunnel. Angela stood quietly where she was. Perhaps if she made a quick escape, she could make it to her house before he caught up. Her mind flipped through the different schemes, her heart already racing. There was no way she was going down in that dark mine. What if a cave collapsed on top of them? They would be crushed under tons of rock and dirt, without air and food and light…

"Angela. I don't joke. You get down here right now or I will carry you down myself."

Angela's heart stopped. "I'd much rather you carried me anyways," she said, her voice shaking. "But… I guess I'm come…. Just give me a second…" She slowly descended the stairs, clutching onto the railing for dear life. Before she knew it, the last wisp of light had vanished behind her. "Oh, no…" With her vision completely gone, she had to rely on her body as her line of sight. "Gill?"

"I'm right here." His voice was so close it made her jump, another excuse for him to chuckle. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Angela heard a pop, and suddenly Gill's face illuminated in front of her. Angela's face grew hot. "Why didn't you tell me you had your own lantern?!"

"It's not mine. Must've been some other explorers…" Gill motioned for her to follow him. "Watch out for pitfalls."

"Please. Like I'd accidently step on a pitfall. What would be more noticeable than a gaping hole in the ground?"

"You'd be surprised." Angela could hear the smile in his voice. "Come on. We need to get to floor ten. There I can teach you all about the Harvest Goddess." Angela clawed her way through the air blindly; the light wasn't bright enough to see everything in the cave. She cursed silently as he fingers struck a boulder.

She could see Gill ahead, his body a dark outline against the dim light. "Uh, yeah…usually people hit those rocks with hammers," Gill laughed, "not hands."

"Hey! I actually have my hammer with me!" Beaming, Angela pulled the rusty hammer from her rucksack, brandishing it like a sword.

"Angela, maybe you shouldn't—"

Oblivious to his words, she swung the hammer with all her might. The rock before her crumbled at her feet, clouds of smoke drifting out from the remains.

"Look, I can be helpful!"

"Angela, unless you plan to mine while we're in here, I suggest not breaking the rocks. It'll just waste your stamina." Gill sighed. "And I don't think we're going to find anything relatively valuable on floor two." He walked over to her, and just to prove his point, kicked the stones around lazily. "See? Nothing there."

"Well, what am I supposed to do then?" Angela asked, stuffing her hammer back into her rucksack.

"Just look for the stairs."

They searched for minutes in silence, neither one of them having any luck. Unfortunately, Gill was carrying the lantern, and if Angela strayed too far away, she would be covered again in darkness. She knew they would have a better chance to find another stairwell if she carried it (she did have all the tools), but Gill looked like he really wanted to lead the search, so she didn't complain. It took nearly ten minutes before any of them found anything, but Gill did manage to find a pretty stone (which Angela was sure was because of her effective hammering skills), and an old necklace. Ready to give up, Angela grumbled towards the stairs, her vision already getting darker and darker. She scrambled over a particularly bulky rock before collapsing on the ground. "Ugh…" She felt her hammer roll out from underneath her.

"Angela?" Gill's voice sounded further away. She lifted her head up, her eyes coming back into focus.

"I'm okay! Wh…Gill? Gill! Hey, I think I found—AHHH!" Angela felt the ground beneath her crumble away, and before she knew it she was plummeting through the floor. Falling and falling. She tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing around but empty air.

"Angela? Angela!" Gill exclaimed. He raced over, the lantern bobbing back and forth. "Angela?" He leaned over the dark hole. "Can you hear me?"

Angela groaned. "Guh…Gill?"

She could hear him laughing from above her. "And you said that you weren't going to fall. Well, this certainly is an interesting situation."

"Ugh…never mind. Can you just get down here, please?" Angela groaned. She looked around worriedly; she couldn't see a thing.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just lucky you dropped your hammer when you fell," Gill said, picking up the heavy tool. "Goddess, how much does this thing weigh?" She heard a thud, and Gill let out a cry.

"I dunno." Angela laughed. "But you seem better at this 'stair finding' search than me, so it shouldn't be a problem." Gill grunted, and turned away from the hole, leaving Angela in the darkness. She shuddered and pulled her knees to her chest comfortingly.

"Gill?" Angela called. When there wasn't an answer, she began panicking. After a few minutes rocking back and forth, she heard a loud crack. Gill ran over to her from across the room, the lantern dancing at his side.

"How convenient," he said. "We're here! You managed to land on floor ten. And actually, the staircase was right next to the place you fell."

"I knew I had found it," Angela murmured. "Maybe I'm not so bad at mining after all."

Gill laughed. "No, I suppose not." He extended his arm out to her, which she used to shakily stand herself up. "Now these walls…they should be somewhere around… they have pictures and stuff on them… Here! Here they are."

"Wow," Angela murmured, her eyes sparkling as Gill held the lantern up to the ancient ruins.

"Yeah. Oh! Look over there! That's the Harvest Goddess," he exclaimed, pointing to a headless statue of a woman. Angela frowned, her eyes scanning the carving.

"Er…I feel like I've seen her before…" she mused. "Oh, yeah! I know! She's been in my dreams… a lot lately…"

Gill gave her a perplexed look. "Really?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah. She can't really talk in full sentences, but I have a strange feeling that all this stuff about the Rainbow Recipes and the Harvest Sprites is what she's trying to tell me."

"That would make sense." Gill held the lantern up to the fading paintings on the other sides of the Goddess. "My guess is that this is the legend about the Harvest Sprites, Waffle Island, and the Rainbow Recipes. Of course, I can't read these inscriptions, but my father would always tell me stories before bed about the origins of the island. Maybe that's why I can see them. I believed for so long that they existed, and then, one day… I just saw one."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Gill said blankly, his eyes glued to the strange writing. "Cute little creatures, really."

"These paintings," Angela murmured. "They're amazing." Her eyes scanned the wall as she followed the illustrations from one side to the other. "How old do you think they are?"

"I would guess over a hundred years." Gill shrugged. "Probably here since the island was made. Or inhabited. Are you sure you've seen her before?" He glanced back over to the statue. "Cause that makes things a lot easier."

"Yeah. Pretty sure." Angela smiled, crossing her arms. "So….what? Now that you think I have a connection, you're expecting me to help you with this Harvest Sprite problem?"

Gill beamed. "You're a smart kid, Angela. At least now we can work on these together and I'm not burdened by the impending mayor's duties _and _the island's disastrous problem!"

"I guess not." Angela giggled. She was just glad they we're getting along, even if it was ten floors underground in a dark cave. "So, can you tell me how exactly to make these recipes?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six is finally here! (And it's been a while, too.) School's just started and my dad put me and my sister on this new typing****policy, so now we're not allowed to type during the weekdays. Thank goodness we had this chapter mostly done. Anyway, I'd like to thank my reviewers: Shimmerleaf, Monedy, and spiritkeeper564. I'm happy that I got more reviewers for the last chapter!**

* * *

**---**

**_2 seasons later..._**

**_---_**

Although he had spent nearly half his life in an orphanage, Chase never really had any connection to any of the other children he had come to know. Sure, they were all nice. The particular boy who shared a room with the aspiring cook even offered to bribe his new family into taking him as well. Looking back, the reason he never became great friends with these children was because they were brought in and taken out so quickly he never had time to bond with them.

And to this day, that was probably the reason why he didn't have many close friends. The exception was the redhead next to him, her eyes focused on the mixture in front of her.

"Chase…" Ann was smiling. "You put sugar in instead of salt. I don't want my soup sweet, thank you very much." Even though it was meant as a joke, Chase growled back, sloshing the stew over the sides of the bowl angrily.

"I'm doing my best." His voice was stern, his hand gripping the spoon so tightly his knuckles were white.

"It's your nerves, isn't it?" It was more a statement than a question. Chase sighed, bringing his free hand up to wipe his forehead.

"Uh…yeah….sure." Chase glanced away from Ann, his eyes tracing the walls of the familiar kitchen. This was his last day here. He would never see this place again. The thought was scary, but it wasn't unfamiliar. He had been thinking about it for the past week.

As if reading his mind, Ann placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're going to be fine. It's not forever, anyways. You can make the decision to come back anytime."

"You'll call me right?" He mentally slapped himself for sounding so desperate.

"Sure, Chase! Maybe I'll come visit once you get settled. I've been meaning to get out of this town anyways." Ann stared down at his soup versus hers. He was definitely going to have a betting chance finding a job as a cook in Waffle Town. His soup looked better than hers, but there was no way his could ever be better than her father's. "Perhaps you'll make a better name for yourself elsewhere."

"Yeah," Chase grumbled. "Half the people here don't even know my name."

"But you know who does?"

"Who?"

"I know you're name, Chase," Ann was smiling widely, trying with all her ability to make Chase's last day memorable. "You're going to be fine."

"You're not going to pull out a blue feather, are you?" Chase's eyes narrowed, but he flashed a small smile.

Ann punched him in the stomach playfully. "I'm just buttering you up before your trip. Don't get too self-centered. Not every girl is going to be falling for you. You just got lucky with Claire…"

There was a creak from behind. "Hey, Chase?" Doug had appeared in the doorway, his eyes looking back and forth between his apprentice and his daughter. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" Chase nodded, quickly taking off his apron before following Doug out the door.

"I just wanted you to know I got a job hooked up for you in Waffle Town. You start tomorrow. Eight o'clock sharp."

Chase was taken aback by this. "R…really? Wow, I… That was really nice of you, sir."

"No need to call me sir anymore," Doug laughed. "You're not my apprentice any longer. From not on, you are under the lead of…uh…" He pulled out a sheet of paper, his eyes scanning the writing. "…Yolanda."

At first, Chase was disappointed. Everywhere he went he was always an apprentice, never a master. Even the tiny Waffle Town already had a cook ahead of him.

"No need to be down on yourself, Chase. You're still young. Yolanda will eventually give her post as a master chef to you."

"What makes you so sure?"

"If you had stayed another year, it's what I would've done."

Chase's eyes widened. "Really? You were going to give your position to me?"

"I'm getting too old for this anyways." His eyes were kind behind his smile. "But I think Ann's learned well, even if she'll never match up to you. I'm sure you're going to have a better life out of this town anyways, and she'll be happy for the job."

"Well, thank you, sir." It slipped before he could stop himself. "Sorry. Old habit." He bowed politely, but Doug stopped him, his hand firm as it gripped his arm.

"Do it again and you're fired."

Chase's eyes widened, and then he laughed. "Yes, _Doug_."

"Now go in there and give my daughter a few pointers before you leave." Chase turned and pushed through the door into the kitchen. Already, his spirits were lifted. Perhaps a change of scenery was all he would need to feel complete.

"So you already have a new job?" Ann asked, her eyes not moving from her soup. Chase grimaced as the strong scent of onions perfumed around the room.

"Yeah. You're father's a nice guy." Chase scrunched up his face. "Go a little crazy on the onions?"

"Onions, I didn't put in any onions!"

"What do you call these?" He picked up a tiny sliver of onion and twirled it between his fingers.

"Oh, no," Ann groaned. "I thought…look so much like…darn it. The peppers were sliced that same way AND look the same color!" She couldn't help laughing at her mistake. "Whatever. I need a break. Let's go walk around." She turned the burner on low and dropped her spoon on the table. "Dad won't mind, as long as we're not gone long."

Chase felt his heart skip a beat. "Oh, I dunno… I really wanted to spend my last day cooking…"

Ann grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out the door. "I know you don't want to Chase, but you're saying goodbye to _everyone_, even if you aren't friends with them."

"Fine. So how many places are you dragging me to?" Chase asked.

"Oh, not too many. We've got to stop at the winery, the library, the supermarket, the Church, Hamilton's house, Ellen's house, Gotz's house, Chicken Lil's—"

"Wait, _where_?" Chase asked in horror.

"I'm not done yet!" Ann huffed. "But I said we need to stop at Chicken Lil's. Rick, Popuri, and Lillia were your first family here! You must want to say goodbye to them, right?"

Chase's stomach did a few somersaults. "Er…about that, I'd rather not…"

"Come on, Chase," Ann said. "We're going there. What's so bad about them anyway?"

"Humph."

"I'll take that as a, 'Fine, I'll do whatever you say, Ann'." The redhead smiled gleefully. "So, after we stop at Chicken Lil's, we're going to Yodel Farm, Saibara the Blacksmith's, Kai's Summer Shack, and Claire's Farm."

"We have to go to Claire's Farm?"

"Sure. I mean, she'd die if you didn't say goodbye to her." Ann gave Chase a curious look. "You alright? You look a bit pale…"

"I'm fine," Chase managed to choke out. "But…can we go to Claire's last? Please?"

"Whatever," Ann said. "So, we'll do Chicken Lil's, then Claire's. Sound good?"

"Uh huh." Chase inhaled deeply through his nose and ran a hand through his hair. "You decide where we go first."

"So…let's go to the winery since it's the closest." Chase nodded, and then Ann took off down the path towards the winery.

"Wait! Ann! Come back!" he said as he ran after her. It didn't take Chase long to catch up to his friend.

Ann laughed at his expression when he arrived, breathless, at the entrance of the winery.

"You're not a runner, are you?" she asked, amused. "Well, we have to go fast if we want to make it to everyone's by noon."

"We don't have to stop at everyone's," Chase said, panting. "That's an idea."

Ann smacked his arm playfully. "What is it with you and Mineral Town, Chase? For some reason, even though everyone loves you, you act like you need to shy away from them. Be a man!"

"It's not as easy as you think," Chase said defensively. "There are…certain people who I'm absolutely sure loathe me. I'm fine about everyone else. It's just those people that freak me out."

"Oh, my Goddess!" Ann exclaimed. "Are you talking about Claire? Aw, Chase, she doesn't hate you!"

The cook blanched. "No, no! Not Claire! It's…someone else. Actually, there are two of them. Trust me—you don't want to see me near either of those people. I think it would end with all of us having bloody noses."

"Would you be the one to throw the first punch?" Ann asked.

Chase shook his head. "Nope. They would; they both _hate _me."

"Why?"

"None of your business…" Chase sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Whatever," Ann said. "Come on. You know how Manna is with gossip. Let's just say goodbye and then move on."

Chase nodded, and then Ann smiled. After a few hours of going from house to house and hearing: "Goddess, Chase. Leaving already? Well, we'll miss you", the two finally arrived at Chicken Lil's. Chase sucked in a sharp breath.

"You go first," he commanded Ann, pushing her in front of him.

"What's up with you, Chase?" the redhead asked, irritated. She stumbled up the steps. "Oh, never mind. I'll just go in." She knocked on the door before slowly opening it. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Hey, Ann!" It was Popuri. She gestured them in kindly. "Hey, Chase." Chase grimaced in response.

"Ann! Chase!" Lilla called from across the room. She was sitting at her usual desk in the corner, working on some paperwork, no doubt something to do with buying or selling chickens. "Make yourselves at home!" She smiled before looking back down at her work, her pen scratching noisily against her paper.

"Hey Ann!" Rick had come from his room, his boots echoing loudly against the stairs. "Why are—oh… Hello, Chase." The last part sounded forced. He crossed his arms. "Why are you guys here?"

"We came to say goodbye!" Ann smiled, grabbing Chase by the arm and jerking him away from the door, which Chase had been silently edging towards.

He smiled feebly. "Yeah. I'm leaving for Waffle Island this afternoon. So…I just wanted to say…thank you… and goodbye…"

Lilla had looked up again, and now her eyes were brimming with tears. "Oh, Chase!" She stood up, raced over, and squeezed him into a hug. Even though it was rather uncomfortable, it was the closest thing to a mother Chase had experienced for years, and he smiled. He had almost forgotten what he had left behind when he had left this house two years ago. But some memories would always stay with him.

He glanced over at Rick, who frowned, proving his point.

~*~*~*~*~*

"_Alright, class! Recess time!" The young woman in the front of the room called out. She jingled a key in her hand and the children that sat dutifully in their desks squealed with glee as their teacher went and opened the back door._

"_Remember, when I blow my whistle, it's time to come back inside," she said. "Now, go have some fun!" The children passed quick, excited glances before getting up and running to the door. Soon, they began pushing others over and fighting to be the first one out. The teacher smiled with satisfaction when all the kids were outside, playing happily. She turned around to go sit down at her desk when she noticed the little boy who remained sitting._

"_Chase?"_

_The boy turned his head, surprised. "Hello, Ms. Smith."_

_The teacher frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be outside?"_

_Chase shook his head. "No. I don't like going outside."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I don't have anyone to play with. No one likes me…"_

"_You know that's not true!"_

"_Yes, it is. People just don't like to talk to me."_

"_I'm sure there's someone who would love to play with you. Come with me; we'll find someone for you to play with." The teacher took Chase's hand and led him outside. She pointed to several different people, but the boy just shook his head and looked away._

"_You say none of those kids will play with you?"_

"_Well, Trent did. That was until he started hanging out with Rick. Then he just wouldn't play with me." Chase sighed. "Like I said, no one—"_

"_Chase." The teacher gave him a long, hard look. "We will find someone for you to play with. What about Elli?"_

_The little boy wrinkled his nose in disgust. "A girl?" Chase asked. "I'm not playing with a girl. No way."_

_The teacher sighed and looked around some more. "Why don't you go play with Rick, then?"_

"_What?" Chase's eyes widened in horror._

"_Why don't you play with Rick. I'm sure he's very friendly."_

"_Er…yeah, about that…. See, Rick and I—"_

"_Come on Chase! I'll go take you over to him. I mean, you've been here a season so he must know you." The teacher pulled on the little boy's arm until he grudgingly began walking with her. "How bad can it be?"_

"_Bad."_

"_Oh, Chase." The teacher shook her head and then smiled as she approached the sandbox where Rick was playing. "Hello, Rick. You remember Chase, don't you?"_

"_Of course I do, Ms. Smith." The redheaded boy grinned at his teacher while pushing his abnormally large glasses up his nose. Chase shuddered._

"_Do you want to play Chase? He's been__ needing a playmate."_

"_Sure." Rick shrugged. "Why not?"_

"_Excellent. See, Chase? I told you we'll find a friend," the teacher said. "Now, I'll be back in the classroom if either of you need me." She smiled at both of them and then went back into the large, stone building. As soon as she was out of sight, Rick smiled evilly._

"_Hello, Chase. Long time, no see?"_

_Chase glared at Rick. "I've actually been trying to avoid you. So do you think you could please leave me alone?"_

"_Why? It is 'cause you're scared of being tormented by a bully?"_

_Chase grimaced. "That's exactly why. I've seen you pester other kids around, so leave me alone."_

"_But you're the only one I haven't pestered yet!" Rick protested in mock persistence. "So, I think I'll stay. And anyway, Chase, who would you tell me on? Are you going to run back home to mommy?"_

_Chase's cheeks flushed red with anger. "Shut it, Rick!"_

"_Oh, that's right!" Rick smiled. "She's not here with you! Where is she, Chase? Why did they abandon you? _

"_She…said…she has to make some money, then I can come back!" Chase muttered, his eyes glued to his feet. _

"_I bet she's never coming back! Then you'll be stuck here forever!" _

_Chase's eyes filled with tears as he tried to protest. "I-I…You'll pay for that, Rick!"_

"_How? Are you going to run back to Ms. Smith? You know that it's only a matter of time before she sends you back to the orphanage for good. She knows you can't stay here for much longer, anyway."_

"_W-what?" Chase asked. "That's not true!"_

"_Why don't you go ask her?"_

_Chase was silent. In his heart, he always did know that he wouldn't be able to keep staying at this school. But he didn't know it was going to be this soon._

"_Well?" Rick asked. _

"_I'm leaving." Chase got up and managed to glare Rick before turning back to the building. Ms. Smith stared at him as he walked back inside._

"_Chase? What happened?"_

_He sat back down at his desk and put his head in his hands. "Nothing."_

_~*~*~*~*~*_

"Chase?" Ann asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "You alright?"

Chase shook his head to relieve himself of the memory. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, it certainly has been a pleasure to have you here, Chase. We'll all miss you." Ann elbowed Rick. "Right?"

"Yeah," Rick murmured, rubbing his sore arm. "Have fun living on an abandoned island, Chase. Maybe you'll actually find someone who _likes_ you."

"I think that's our cue to go," Ann said, pulling on Chase's arm. "Bye, Popuri. Rick. Lillia."

"Bye!" Popuri called from the kitchen. "Have fun on Waffle Island, Chase."

"Thanks." He and Ann left Chicken Lil's without another word. After they were outside, Ann turned Chase to face her and stared at him.

"Is Rick one of those guys who hate you?" she asked.

Chase winced. "Well, I guess you could say that…"

"Why?"

Chase flushed red. "I already told you—it's none of your business. So can you please not bring it up again. Please?" Ann put her hands on her hips.

"Alright. Fine. But remember, we still have Claire's to go to."

Chase muttered a few silent curses. "Let's just get this over with." Ann sighed and then they walked down the main path to the local farm. Chase was surprised at how nice the farm looked. The land was overflowing with ripe tomatoes that were ready to be harvested and the cows and sheep were standing in a patch of tall grass, grazing happily.

"Claire!" Ann called out. The blond farmer appeared suddenly from behind one of her cows. She brightened when she saw them.

"Ann! Chase! Hello!" She exclaimed, getting up from her milking. She set the bottle of milk down next to her cow and raced over to them. "It's so good to see both of you! How're you doing? Good?"

"Fine," Ann said, grinning. "My cooking's getting better since Chase's been teaching me."

"Really?" Claire asked, looking at Chase. "That's amazing. I didn't know you could cook better than Ann. Of course, then you'd be better than Kai too, right?"

"I-I guess," Chase stuttered. "I mean, Doug's been teaching me, so I can't have all the credit. And this Yolanda person that's supposed to be my new tutor, Doug says she's really good and that she can—"

"Wait, who?" Claire asked, frowning. "Who's Yolanda?"

"Actually, that's why we're here," Chase muttered. Ann looked at the two of them and then told Claire she was going to go pet one of the cows. She then gave Chase a sympathetic look and then ran off to the grazing field. Claire sighed.

"You're here to tell me that you're leaving soon, right?" She looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with sorrow.

"Yeah. I'm leaving today, actually. A guy named Pascal's supposed to come and pick me up at around one o' clock."

"So soon?" Claire looked down at her feet. "I'm going to miss you."

"Hey, no crying. Please," Chase murmured, pulling her into a hug. "I'll miss you too."

Claire sniffled. "Thanks for coming to tell me. I would've gone into hysterics if you just left without saying anything."

Chase smiled. "I wouldn't do that to you. You're one of my closest friends!" Although it probably was a lie, Claire had become something like a little sister to him over the last few weeks, and he couldn't help feeling a little sad that he would never see her again.

"Thanks," she whispered. "That's really nice of you to say that." Claire pulled away from his hug and sat down on the fence that outlined her field. Chase sat down next to her.

"How's Gray doing?" he asked softly. Claire brightened considerably.

"Oh! Right, I've been meaning to talk to you about him. He asked me to go to the fireworks festival!" she exclaimed happily. "And I said that I would, so he's happy! I think our relationship might work after all."

"That's great," Chase said. _Thank the Goddess she accepted_, he thought.

"I know. It'll be so much fun!" Claire beamed. "He's such a nice guy, too."

"Yeah." Chase brought his hand up to his cheek (which was still a bit tender), remembering the length's Gray was willing to go to make sure Claire was happy. "He's… really nice."

For a while, neither of them said anything. Ann kept trying to tell Chase that it was time to go, but he was looking at the ground.

"Chase!" Ann exclaimed finally. "You'd better go if you want to make it on time. It's almost one o' clock!"

"Oh." Chase got up from the fence and turned to face Claire. "I'll come back and visit sometime. I promise."

Claire smiled. "Cool. You always keep your promises." Ann came over and took Chase's arm.

"Sorry, Claire, but I have to take Chase with me," she said. "I'll come over later and we can talk about the festival, 'kay?"

"Sure." Claire grinned. "Bye, Chase."

"Bye, Claire. I'll see you soon." He smiled, and the two headed away from the farm and towards the docks.

"Chase," Ann said as she ran with him to Mineral Beach. "You talked forever! I kept trying to get your attention, but you wouldn't look at me!"

"Well, I'll probably never see her again," Chase sighed. "You were right. It does feel good to say my goodbyes. Thankfully, we haven't seen Gray though. And Rick wasn't much fun either. But everyone else was okay."

Ann smiled as they stepped onto the beach. The boat was already there, a thick rope securing it to a wooden post; it bobbed up and down with the current, the sails waving in the wind. Chase was surprised to see that his bags were already there, sitting next to the dock. Pascal was leaning against the boat, and he seemed to be dozing off since his cap was covering his eyes. Chase glanced over at the ocean. The salty waves were higher today than usual, and a few starfish had been swept up onto the shore. He walked over a picked one up.

"What are you doing?" Ann asked. Nevertheless, she picked one up as well.

"Nothing of great importance," he said, putting it in his pocket. "It's just something that I'll keep to remind me of Mineral Town." Ann looked at her feet.

"So...I guess it's my turn to say goodbye, huh?" she murmured. Chase bit his lip.

"I-I guess." Ann sighed and looked at him.

"It seems like you just got here."

"I came to Mineral Town over ten years ago!" Chase looked at Ann curiously. "But I guess I've only had a real home for a few years."

Ann laughed. "The Inn will _always _be your home, Chase. Even if you're not in Mineral Town."

"That's comforting," Chase said. "So if things don't work out in Mineral Town, I can always come back here."

Ann shrugged. "Yeah."

"I'll be waiting for that call."

"What?"

Chase grinned. "You promised you'd call sometime. And I want you to know that I'll be expecting it."

"Don't worry. The minute you get settled, I'll call you. Dad has the number of the place where you're staying."

"Awesome," Chase said. "Don't forget."

"Me? Forget?" Ann asked. "I don't think so. I have a perfect memory!"

"Then what's the name of the place where I'm staying?"

Ann frowned and bit her lip. "Okay, Okay. So I forget one thing. Big deal!" The redhead gave Chase a long look. "Promise me that you won't be gone for too long! Promise?"

Chase smiled. "The first opprotunity I get, I'll take a trip and visit my old friends back in Mineral Town. You have my word." Ann gave him a weak smile, and then neither of them said anything for a long time. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach was calming to him, but at the same time, it made him sad. It made him not want to leave, even though he had everything ready for his departure.

"Hey! You there!" Pascal walked over to the two of them and pointed at Chase. "Are you the one who's going to Waffle Town?"

"Uh...yeah. That's me. Is it time to go?" Chase asked. Ann passed him a worried glance. There was a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

Pascal nodded. "Er...well the thing is, it technically would be time to go, but the ocean hasn't calmed down quite yet."

"What?" Chase exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

"You've gotta be kidding me," Ann muttered. "Did we just say goodbye to everyone in town, and now you're _not_ leaving?"

Chase swore under his breath. "But the ticket said we depart today!"

"I understand," Pascal said. "But I've just gotten news from Waffle Island—no boat's going to be able to make it to the port in one piece. I was lucky I got out to Mineral Town without any trouble. I don't know what's up with the weather changes—"

"Wait, so what am I supposed to do?" Chase asked. "Do I just stay here in Mineral Town?"

Pascal shrugged. "I guess that's the only thing you really can do. Unless you're suicidal, I'd stay here."

Chase took a deep breath. "How much longer until the ocean's actually calm?" he asked.

"I'd give a week...or two," Pascal replied.

"A week?" Ann asked, frowning. She smiled suddenly, then. "So I guess you're staying with us for another week, Chase! Dad'll be thrilled."

Chase paled. "What about everyone else? They'll think I'm on Waffle Island!"

Ann thought about that for a while. "Well, I guess we could keep you in the room upstairs. Dad and I could make up some lame excuse as to why no one can go in there. And then we can just let you come out for meals when no one else is there."

"So basically I'd just be hiding in the Inn for a week?" Chase asked. "Can I at least work in the Kitchen? I can cook people's orders!"

"I'll ask Dad," Ann replied. "But for right now, we've just got to make sure that no one else took your room."

"I'll be sure to come get you when the ocean's calm," Pascal said. "This almost never happens. We'll go for sure next time."

Chase nodded. "I should hope."

"Let's go get your bags, Chase," Ann said. "Then we can go check back at the Inn. If we don't have a room...I guess you could stay at the Church. Carter wouldn't mind...at least I don't think he would."

Chase sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

"I'll see you in about a week or two," Pascal said. "And you can count on me to make sure you get to Waffle Island."

* * *

**Sorry for all you who were excited to see Chase actually go to Waffle Island. I'll make sure that he'll meet Angela in the next chapter. Sorry if this was...dull and not what you expected. In Chase's next chapter, the fun part comes! Thanks again, readers!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ugh, it's been so hard to post lately, especially with schoolwork to do. I've been way behind on writing this chapter, and in the middle I kind of ran out of things to write. I'm really sorry if the chapter's a little bit...dull but I've added a little flair to the end so you guys aren't disappointed! Anyway, thanks to my reviewers, Shimmerleaf and chocobo86. Please enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review!!!**

---

_Previously:_

_Angela smiled, crossing her arms. "So….what? Now that you think I have a connection, you're expecting me to help you with this Harvest Sprite problem?"_

_Gill beamed. "You're a smart kid, Angela. At least now we can work on these together and I'm not burdened by the impending mayor's duties and the island's disastrous problem!"_

_"I guess not." Angela giggled. She was just glad they we're getting along, even if it was ten floors underground in a dark cave. "So, can you tell me how exactly to make these recipes?"_

---

"Well," Gill mused, scanning the wall carefully. "_I _don't exactly know to make the rainbow recipes…would it make sense if I told you that I knew—oh, let's say half— of how to make them?"

"Sort of…I guess," Angela replied. "But, the important part is whether or not knowing only half of how to make the recipes will delay us."

"You could say that it would."

"Then that could be a problem." Angela folded her arms in front of her chest. "So, how to we figure out actually how to make these?"

"Uh…" Gill ran a hand through his hair. "Er…well, that part is a little bit difficult."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked.

"Well…It's kind of hard to explain…"

"Isn't everything related to this subject?" Angela replied sarcastically. Gill laughed, and then it was quiet for a while. Angela shuddered in the cold.

Gill smiled softly. "Oops. I forgot to mention that it's not exactly warm down here. It can get freezing some times."

"Thanks for saying something earlier. Maybe then I would've brought a jacket of some sort."

"Sorry. I forgot myself, actually."

"Well you're just lucky that you wear long sleeves every day," Angela muttered. Gill laughed.

"I like long sleeves. What's wrong with that?"

Angela looked at him skeptically. "Even in summer? When it's really hot all the time?"

"Even in summer."

Angela smiled. "You _never _get the slightest bit warm? That's hard to believe."

"I didn't say that!" Gill exclaimed.

"You as good as said it." There was another brief pause. Angela could barely make out Gill's smirking face in the dim lantern light.

"You're weird, Angela," Gill said, his grin broadening.

"What? And you're not?"

"I guess if I am if you are. You're really the only one I talk to. Well, I guess Calvin sometimes comes to the Town Hall, but I don't really strike up conversations with him."

Angela shrugged. "You've got a point, I guess."

"So, we're both weird then. That settles things." Gill's smile gradually faded as he saw Angela shivering. "Oh. Well, maybe we ought to go back up."

"M-maybe," Angela murmured softly.

Gill shook his head and sighed. "We haven't even been in here for that long. I've got to start reconsidering where I take you, Angela."

She gave him a hard look. "How else were we supposed to find out about the Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites? And why did you drag us off topic? We need to be figuring out how to make the rainbows!"

Gill sighed again. "I know, I know. I'll explain to you everything when we get to the surface. But let's hurry so you don't freeze." He took Angela's hand and walked over to the staircase. After many bouts of tripping up stairs, the pair finally reached the warm air of the first floor.

"It's about time," Angela said, running outside. The warm airs of the first days of summer greeted her genially. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The sun felt so warm on her skin…

"Angela?" The farmer turned to face Gill, who was walking over to her. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Getting my daily dose of vitamin D," Angela replied, grinning. "We've been in that mine for what…a couple hours? It was cold, dark, and damp. You can't blame me for wanting to be outside again."

Gill smiled. "I guess I can't. But listen, we should go to your house. I can explain everything to you there. And if I'm correct, you haven't watered your crops yet today."

"What crops?" Angela looked at him curiously. Gill laughed.

"The dying tomatoes? Geez, Angela, you forget things so easily. You've got to be careful or you'll never be an accomplished farmer," Gill said. Angela flushed red.

"The tomatoes! Oh, my goddess! How could I forget? I mean, I was even talking about them earlier." She shook her head sadly. "Some farmer I am."

"You're not that bad. Really, Angela." Gill smiled at her. "But let's take our minds of the tomatoes for a minute. These rainbows, they're not as easy as they might seem."

"I expected that," Angela said. "What're they like?"

Gill ran a hand through his hair. "You know the Harvest Sprites?"

"Uh huh."

"They make the rainbows. There used to be lots of them on Waffle Island until the Mother Tree died."

"Cool." Angela grinned. "I'd like to see them in the sky again."

"Me, too. The rainbows were beautiful, and that was one of the prides of this island. Whenever the weather was fair, rainbows would shine in the sky."

"And then the Mother Tree…?" Angela made a cutting sound and ran her hand over her throat.

"Yeah." Gill's expression darkened. "The rainbows stopped appearing, and the ocean got rougher and rougher. People left the island to try and find a new home—one that was safer than Waffle Island."

"So that's why everyone left. It was what I figured, but I never really knew…"

"That's why we need to fix up the island and re-construct the rainbows. I think this island has a lot of potential, and I want to see it returned to its formal glory."

Angela giggled. "You sound so professional. It's funny."

Gill smiled. "I'm determined, that's all."

"I can see that." Angela brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Hey, look! The farm's over there!" She broke off into a run and rushed over to the almost wilted tomatoes. "They're not as bad as I thought!"

"Yeah." Gill walked over to them and stroked the dull red tomatoes with a finger. "Shouldn't you water them?"

"I was getting to that!" Angela huffed, taking out her watering can. Gill backed up to the fence and watched as she watered all six of the tomatoes, and then almost collapsed with exhaustion.

"You look dead." Gill said as Angela walked over and at with him, breathing heavily.

"I know. It's hard work, especially if you're weak like me," Angela said.

Gill laughed. "You're not that weak." He grinned at the look Angela gave him. "Alright, you're pretty weak. Anyway, there's something I want to show you."

"What?" Angela asked, watching as Gill took something out of his pocket. It was a package of some sort, wrapped in brown paper. He unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful quilt—or half of it. Angela sucked in a deep breath when she saw the Harvest Goddess sewn into the quilt.

"Wow."

Gill smiled. "Yeah. I've only seen the other part once. And you'll never guess where it is."

"Under your bed?"

Gill laughed. "Close. It's in a secret safe locked in the closet of my dad's office at work."

Angela's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? And are you saying that we need that quilt to make the rainbows?"

"Yeah. It was said that if you had the two parts of the quilt, then making the rainbows will be a lot easier." Gill explained.

"So, we just need to get the other half? How in the name of the goddess are we supposed to get it?"

"Well, I kind of had this idea..."

Angela frowned. "And?"

Gill grinned. "I think we're going to have to break into my dad's office."

~*~*~*~*~*

"You know, I've never snuck into someone's house before," Angela said as Gill took the key to the Town Hall out of his pocket. The full moon shone brightly on the pair as Gill worked at the lock of the door. Angela was wearing a sweater (she was thankful that it wasn't a black one) and a pair of sweat pants. Earlier today, she had protested when Gill had told her that they were going to sneak into his dad's office. She, of course, had agreed in the end and now they were outside the Town Hall, getting ready to find the other half of the Harvest Goddess Quilt.

"Shh! Angela, this isn't the right time to be proclaiming that to the world!"

"It's not like anyone's listening, though. It's what…ten o' clock at night? I should be asleep by now!"

"Shh!" Gill looked over both his shoulders, and then motioned for Angela to follow him into the Town Hall. The two of them crept around silently, and soon enough, Gill pointed to a closet on the left side of a worn wooden desk.

Angela shook her head in disapproval. "You do know that your dad's going to kill you if he finds us, right?" she asked, glancing at Gill.

"But we need this, and it's his most prized possession. You want to save the Harvest Goddess, right?" Gill opened the door and began searching through the coats and blankets on the floor of the closet.

"Of course I do!" Angela huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "But I don't really think this is necessary. I guess first impressions might be wrong, because the first time I saw you, you weren't exactly screaming, 'I'm the type of guy who sneaks into my dad's office in the middle of the night!'"

"Ugh. Can you give it a rest, Angela? Waffle Island's destiny might depend of this—aha!" Gill triumphantly pulled out a small metal box from the back corner of the closet.

Angela sighed. "You do realize it's locked, right?"

"And I have the key!" Gill reached into his pocket and showed Angela a small brass key. In a few moments, the lock on the box clicked and they opened it to reveal the second—and equally beautiful—half of the quilt.

"This one has a Harvest Sprite on it!" Angela exclaimed, pointing to the small fairy-like figure in the corner.

"Yes, it does. You have a good eye, Angela." The farmer gasped suddenly, and both she and Gill turned and came face-to-face with Mayor Hamilton.

"Father!" Gill sprang to his feet. "I-I can explain everything!"

Hamilton laughed. "I'm sure you can, but I don't think you need to." Angela glanced uneasily from Gill to the mayor, her face rigid with fear.

Gill sighed. "We only wanted the other half of the quilt. You know how much this Island means to me. I had to find the other half so that Angela and I could make the rainbows."

"Didn't I tell you that you didn't need to explain?" Hamilton asked, smiling. "And, by the way, I was going to give you that second half of the quilt tomorrow. I figured that you and Angela were working together, Gill, and I immediately knew that you two—" he motioned to both of them "—could save the Harvest Goddess."

"Really?" Gill asked, a perplexed look on his face.

"Really." Hamilton grinned. "But the one thing I don't understand is why you had to sneak into my office in the middle of the night, Gill. That's not like you."

"I have my reasons," Gill murmured, looking from his father to Angela.

"I know you do." Hamilton's grin widened. "You can keep the quilt, Gill, but I expect you to be up and working on those rainbows tomorrow morning."

Gill scowled. "I have to work tomorrow."

"Says who?" Hamilton asked, looking at his watch. "You'll be too tired to get to work on time anyway. I want you and Angela to be working on those rainbows, alright? That's your punishment for breaking into my office."

"I guess that fits." Gill shrugged. "Sorry I dragged you along with me, Angela. I guess this whole thing was a big waste of time."

"Er…it's okay?" She looked at Gill and then tried to stifle a yawn. "I think I have to get back to the farm. I'm a little bit tired."

"Aren't we all?" Hamilton asked. "Come along, Gill. Goodnight, Angela." He smiled at her, and then with Gill behind him, walked out of the Town Hall. Angela followed after them, but took the different path that lead to the Carmel River District. She raced over the bridge to her small farm and as soon as she was dressed in her night clothes, flopped down on the bed and fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*

Angela groaned and shoved a pillow over her head when the first glimpse of light shone through her bedroom window. _It's way too early, _she thought to herself sadly. Although it had only been a few hours ago, Angela could barely remember her night's excavations in the Town Hall. The one detail she could remember, though, was that today she was going to work on rainbows with Gill.

Angela reluctantly left the comfort of her bed and walked over to her dresser, where she plucked out a shirt and shorts to wear. After she got dressed, she headed outside to water her crops. After she was done watering all the tomatoes, she put her watering can in her rucksack and went over to the Sundae Inn for breakfast.

"Good morning, Angela," Colleen greeted her.

"'Morning," Angela said, walking over to the cash register. "Er...can I just have a plain omelet today?"

Colleen smiled. "Of course. Yolanda! We have an order for a plain omelet!" A brief grunt from the kitchen signaled that Yolanda had heard her daughter-in-law, and a few minutes later, Angela was sitting at a table and eating happily. The food was good, but Angela couldn't concentrate on anything but the rainbows. She was so worried that things would go terribly wrong, and then Waffle Island would never be saved, or the Mother Tree might never be revived...

"Angela!" The brunette was torn from her daydreams by the sound of her name called in the doorway. It was Gill, and soon enough he had walked over to her table and was ushering her out of her chair.

"Gill!" Angela complained with her mouth full of omelet. "What're you doing?"

"We need to get started on the rainbows today! Remember?" he asked.

Angela swallowed her last bit of food and nodded. "Uh huh. I couldn't forget about those!"

"I figured you wouldn't." Gill smiled. "Er...sorry about your food." He gestured to the half-eaten omelet. Angela shrugged.

"It's no big deal. I wasn't that hungry anyway," she lied. Gill just gave her a long look, and then whisked her out of the Sundae Inn. The two of them sat down on one of the benches and pieced together the Harvest Goddess Quilt.

"Let's see," Gill mused. "_Little fairy Harvest Sprites make a special cake. If you water the beautiful flowers, the sleeping ones will wake._"

"Huh," Angela said. "That's weird, isn't it?"

Gill nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Er...let's see..._beautiful flowers _could be...well there are some nice ones up by the Town Hall...maybe they're there?"

Angela pondered this for a moment, and then shook her head. "I don't think so. Those are replaced by new ones every season, right?"

"Oh, right. I forgot," Gill muttered. "Maybe—"

"Wait!" Angela closed her eyes in deep thought. "Oh yeah! I remember that there's one in the Maple Lake District...it's a blue flower, I think."

Gill's face brightened. "Oh, yeah! You're right! Do you think that maybe that could be a Harvest Sprite? The only one I remember was a green one..."

Angela shrugged. "I dunno. Do you remember where the green one was? We might have a better shot at that one."

"Um...the funny thing is, I think I do remember. There's this tree by the Town Hall, and there's this amazing flower underneath it. It never dies—not even in winter. I think that one might be a Harvest Sprite."

"Oh, yeah! I remember that one!" Angela exclaimed. "Let's go!" They both got up from the bench, and Gill put the quilt in Angela's rucksack. They ran hurriedly up the stone stairs to the Town Square, and then across the grass until they came to a patch of land by the Town Hall. A beautiful green flower sat in the shade, it's petals extended, as if it were reaching for the sunlight.

"Is that it?" Angela asked. Gill nodded.

"That's the one." They both took a step forward, and Angela pulled her watering can out of her rucksack. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Do you want to...?"

"No." Gill shook his head. "You do it." Angela bit her lip and stepped closer to the flower. She leaned her watering can over it, and as the water touched the flower's petals, a small, green Harvest Sprite began stumbling around in its place.

"ACK! IT'S SO COLD! STOP! STOP!" The Sprite squealed. Angela stumbled backwards in surprise.

"No way," Gill grinned. "This is so cool. I knew it was a Harvest Sprite!"

"Well," the Sprite huffed at both of them. "_That's _certainly no way to wake someone up." It yawned. "I feel like I've been sleeping for a very long time..."

"That's because you have," Gill explained. He told the Sprite about everything that had happened. The Harvest Sprite's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, no!" It exclaimed. "I-I remember now! T-The Mother Tree died...and then...the _Harvest Goddess!_" The creature wailed. "I can't believe I couldn't save her...oh, no, no, no, no..."

"It's alright," Angela said, desperately trying to prevent the Sprite from bursting into tears. "We're here to help. I'm Angela, and this is my friend Gill."

The Harvest Sprite looked at both of them and then managed a weak smile. "I'm Daren. Nice to meet you...despite the unhappy circumstances."

"Nice to meet you too." Angela smiled.

"There are five of us Harvest Sprites," Daren said. "Collin, Alan, Ben, Edge, and me. We're the ones who made the rainbows in the sky. Our energy came from the Mother Tree, and when it died, it sucked our power with it. Fortunately, I we all still have our rainbow recipes, so we can help make the recipes, if it's needed."

"That's good," Gill said. "Because it is needed. We want to try to make the rainbows so we can save the Harvest Goddess and revive the Mother Tree."

"That's excellent!" Daren jumped up and down with excitement, and then he suddenly stopped. "Oh...I would come with you and help, but I'm too weak to move. The least I can do for you is to give you my rainbow recipe, though."

"That's exactly what we need," said Angela, grinning.

"Ok. I'll giveit to you." The Sprite lifted its arms, and some glimmers of blue light shined over its head. Then the light formed into a book, which Daren gave to Angela. "The recipe is in that. I'vefilled mine in, but you'll need to get the rest of the recipes from the other Harvest Sprites." Daren yawned. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can stay awake for much longer...I get really tired so easily these days..." Daren gave them a final smile before dissolving back into the magical green flower.

"That was so cool," Angela said.

Gill nodded. "I can't believe that we got the first recipe already. I think I'm already starting to feel the energy come back to Waffle Island."

Angela laughed. "We haven't even started it yet, Gill!" He smiled, and then opened the book.

"Hm..._Daren's Recipe: apple, grilled yam, good herb fish, carp, common seashell_," Gill read. "That shouldn't be that bad."

"That's weird," Angela said. "I know where to get most of that stuff. At the last seasonal flea market, I bought tons of stuff—which included a lot of food."

"Including an apple?"

Angela nodded. "And the grilled yam. I guess I was lucky that those looked so good."

"Yeah, we were really lucky." Gill gestured over to the Sundae Inn. "I'm going to make it up to you for tearing you away from a good meal. Let's go get breakfast, shall we?"

Angela blushed. "Um...I guess. But, I'm not that hungry—" A sharp growl came from her stomach.

"Nice try, Angela," Gill said, laughing. "C'mon. I don't think you've had a decent meal for a few days."


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, all you people out there, I am so sorry for the 3 month wait. I've had computer problems and a huge author's block to deal with, and both of those majorly impacted my writing. I wasn't quite sure what do do with this chapter, but I eventually got an idea, which has forced me to backtrack and make a change to one of the previous chapters. Okay, so that one change is that CHASE HAS NOT COME TO WAFFLE ISLAND YET!!! I know that I made Angela meet him, but I figured that I was getting ahead of myself, so I deleted that part and now Chase hasn't met Angela yet. He will in this chapter, though.**

**I also want to add that in this story, characters are going to have slightly different personalities. I keep forgetting to add that in my other Author's Notes, but I figured I should just say that now. Also, my thanks go to all of the readers who have stood with me and have waited for this chapter to be posted, and I also thank my reviewers for the last chapter.**

**I hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

Chase groaned; his dream had been so nice. He could almost taste the orange cake on his tongue. _If only it had been real_, he sighed, licking his lips. Now all he could taste was his own dry mouth, accompanied by the sound of a sharp rap against his door. "Are you in there Chase?" a voice called.

He blinked his eyes, adjusting to the light. "Yes."

He turned to look at the clock, his eyes catching the reflection in the mirror. Ann was leaning against the doorway, looking down at him. "I uh…just wanted to see if you were up," she said cheerfully.

"I didn't even know I fell asleep..." Chase frowned. He sat up on his bed.

"Yeah…it's probably a good thing. You know, the fact that you got more rest. You were exhausted." Ann smiled. "Actually, I was worried about you. You haven't said a word since we got back…"

"I'm fine." Chase sat up on his bed and looked at Ann. "I guess I sleep when I'm upset. But now I'm fine. Really."

"Now why don't I believe that?" Ann asked, sitting down next to Chase. "I know how you feel. First you want to go to Waffle Island and then you can't. It's just one bad thing after another, isn't it?"

"I just want to go. I've been waiting too long." The dread he had been trying to ignore suddenly came pouring back. Chase clutched his stomach. "Every time I think about it, I think about whether or not I'm doing the right thing. I wish I could just leave already. That way, no matter how I feel, there's no coming back. I just hate waiting."

"I can understand that." Ann smiled weakly. "I'm sure the ocean'll calm down soon. A week isn't that long, right?"

"Maybe not for you…" Chase murmured. He ran his free hand through his hair, the other still bound tightly around his chest.

"But still," Ann said. "It's been on and off for days. Hey, I know. Let's go talk to Pascal tomorrow. He's staying with Won and Zack, so we can meet him and talk to him about it. Do you want to?"

Chase shrugged. "I guess."

"Cool. Then it's settled."

Chase nodded. There was a long silence. He couldn't stop thinking about being alone, somewhere unfamiliar. At least he'd have cooking. But it wouldn't be the same without Ann… It wouldn't be the same without anyone. He looked over at her and smiled.

"Have you ever wondered what the Harvest Goddess looks like?"

Ann seemed taken aback by the question. She pondered it for a few minutes before replying. "Yeah, sometimes. Except whenever I do, it's always my mom's face I see."

"Really?" Chase scooted closer to her, the hole in his chest suddenly closing. "I can never think of someone, or something, that's as beautiful or as powerful as a goddess."

"My mom was really pretty." Ann looked up at the ceiling, her eyes brimming with sadness. "I loved her so much. When she died, it broke my heart. I couldn't believe that she was gone." Ann looked over at Chase. "She was such a good person; I can't help but see her face every time I think about the Harvest Goddess."

Chase sighed and looked at his feet. "My parents…they abandoned me when I was five. I never really understood it, but before I got on the train, my mother said she had to send me away for a while. So that she and my dad could make some more money, and then bring me back to live with them again."

Ann gave Chase a sad look. "Chase… If it hurts you… you don't have to tell me…"

"I need too," Chase answered. "I have to get this off my chest."

Ann wrapped her arm around Chase's shoulders and squeezed. He looked over at her and smiled half-heartedly. "Well… when I was…six years old, I had just arrived at my new home. I was playing with a boy about my age in the park when a woman walked past me. She had the same hair and eye color as my mom. I jumped up to her, and yelled, 'Mom, Mom! I missed you so much!' Then she turned, and I realized that it wasn't her. The woman stuck her nose up at me before she walked away. The only reason I didn't cry was because I knew I would be made fun of. So I just held it in."

"Oh," was all Ann could say.

"It was just when I came to Mineral Town and heard about them dying. I went to the Church to visit Carter, like I do every Sunday. He had always promised that he would tell me any news he had about my parents. On that rainy Spring day, he told me that…that they weren't coming to get me. They had died in a car crash."

Chase's voice cracked, and he slumped against Ann, his face ashen. "Chase, I'm so sorry…I never knew," she whispered, her arm tightening around him.

"It's fine. I just…I never got to have the life that most kids dream about. I never got to spend summers at the ocean, running through the waves and building sand castles like most boys did. I guess I was just unfortunate; I was the boy with no home. I never stayed in the same down for over a few years. I never got to actually be a normal kid."

"Now I really do understand."

Chase squared his face, trying to hold back his all the emotions that were trying to claw their way out. "Understand what?"

"Why you're leaving." Ann looked over at him. "After having to go through all that, you just want to be normal. You want to get married, start a family, and live out the rest of your life like any adult. But you can't if you're here. Growing up in Mineral Town just might've been one of the toughest things you ever did. Sure, you had Carter and me, but you also had the haunting news of your parents' death and Rick to worry about. Mineral Town has been, and always will be, my home. I think I'll live here forever. But for you, Mineral Town is just another bad memory. And that makes it perfectly normal for you to want to leave and find a new life for yourself."

Chase took a while to answer. He was afraid that if he spoke, he would break down, and he didn't want Ann to have to deal with that.

"I know," he said eventually, his voice still shaking.

Ann smiled. "Chase, you're my best friend. You know that, right?"

"Of course." Chase looked at her.

"There will always be someone who doesn't understand you, Chase. Sometimes, that person might be a childhood bully or an old friend. There are people who look once at you and say, 'Ew, what a horrible person'." Ann gave Chase a hard look. "I guarantee you, everyone has experienced that. Everyone has, and everyone will."

"Ann…"

"Chase, stop." Ann interrupted him. "I just need to let you know one thing. When you go to Waffle Island…I won't forget you. Any time you need someone to talk to, just call the Inn. Because that's what friends do—they always have each other's backs."

Chase looked at Ann. "You don't know how much talking to you has done for me." He smiled. "I guess that there were things I just couldn't forget about, and talking to you was like lifting a heavy weight off my chest. I feel so much better now."

Ann pulled Chase into a tight hug. "I'm glad."

It was only a few minutes later that an angry bellow came from downstairs. "ANN!" Doug hollered, obviously mad. "What in the Goddess's name are you doing? I need you down here, quick!"

"Oh!" Ann sprang up from the bed and gave Chase an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Chase. I lost track of time. But we're still going to visit Pascal tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah." Chase smiled. "Goodnight, Ann."

"Goodnight, Chase." He watched as Ann left the room, her red braid swinging behind her as she rushed through the door and downstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Wake up, Chase!" a sweet singsong voice called. "It's time to get up!"

Chase groaned as he blinked his eyes open, looking up to see Ann's smiling face leaning over him.

Chase sat up groggily. Sunlight streamed through the tattered curtains of the small room he was staying inn. He stifled a yawn and then looked up at his friend with a tired expression.

"You'd better have a good reason for waking me up, Ann." Chase grumbled. She laughed.

"What, did you forget what we're doing today already?" She asked. "We're going to go visit Pascal, remember?"

"Oh…right." Chase felt dazed. "I could've sworn that when we were yesterday was only a dream."

"Well, it was most certainly not a dream!" Ann huffed. "I meant every word I said yesterday and I don't need you to forget it already!"

Chase laughed. "Alright, alright. I haven't forgotten."

"Good." Ann said. "Now hurry up and get dressed; we have a very busy schedule today. First we visit Pascal…" She trailed off as she tossed Chase his favorite black outfit and trusty maroon apron.

"Er…" Chase murmured as he held the clothes. Ann turned bright red.

"Of course I was going to leave!" She hurried out of the small room to give Chase some privacy while changed. It was only minutes later that she was pulling him outside the door and dragging him towards the beach.

"You know," Ann said. "I've been thinking about what it'll be like when you're gone."

"Oh?" Chase asked, trying to release his sore arm from Ann's iron grip.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to be really lonely…but at least I'll have Claire, right?" she asked.

Chase nodded. "Yeah. Claire's a good friend for you."

"I know. But…"

"What?"

"…she and Gray are getting pretty serious into their relationship. I think he's going to propose to her anytime soon," Ann murmured.

"Really?" Chase asked, stopping suddenly. "Wow, that was quick," he murmured quietly to himself.

"What did you say?" Ann asked, only paying half of her attention on him.

"Nothing," Chase replied hastily.

"Well, but I mean, once Claire has Gray, then I'll be the only one that's not married yet!"

"Well, if Gray does end up marrying Claire, then it'll be…you, Karen, Rick, Mary, and Cliff."

"Yeah, but everyone knows that Karen and Rick are in love." Ann seemed to be in a worse mood with every word she said.

"But…"

"Chase," Ann said, half sighing. "You are not even going to suggest that Cliff and I will end up together. No way."

Chase paused, his mouth open as if he was going to say something in reply. Ann was too busy kicking pebbles up from the ground in Rose Square and murmuring to herself to see Chase smile slyly.

"What do Cliff and I have in common, anyway?" Ann asked him. "He's shy, I'm outgoing. He doesn't like to talk to people, I do. He doesn't even have a _job_, for Goddess's sake! We're complete opposites!"

"Ann," Chase smirked. "You like Cliff, don't you?"

Her cheeks turned a deep shade of magenta. "Wait…what?"

"Ha!" Chase laughed. "I knew it!"

"Chase, shut up!" Ann said, blushing profusely. "I-I…"

"There's no need to hide it," Chase said, still grinning. "I think he's got a thing for you too."

"……"

"You know, I wouldn't have been able to figure it out if you didn't say all those bad things about him." Chase said. "But, never mind. You two should get together soon…I can't think of any romantic festivals that are coming up, but—"

"Shut up!" Ann desperately tried to hide her smile. "You're terrible, Chase."

"Sure I am," he replied.

"Argh," Ann said as they walked onto the beach. There was a pause and then she turned to face Chase. "If you so much as mutter a word to _anyone_…that will be the last thing you ever do."

"Alright. But remember, I'm moving to Waffle Island. No one will even know who you and Cliff are there!"

"….Whatever, Chase." The two of them began walking over to the small shack on the other side of the beach. Waves lunged towards them, only managing to make it a few feet into the sand before reeling back into the ocean. Ann opened the door and went inside, closely followed by Chase.

"Ann!" Zack said, walking over to greet them. "What a nice surprise!"

"Good to see you, Zack," Ann said.

"Hey," Chase murmured.

"Um…is Pascal here?" Ann asked, looking around.

"Did someone say my name?" Pascal walked up to them and smiled. "Hello! It's strange; I was just about to come find you guys!"

"Pascal, has the ocean calmed down yet?" Ann asked. He laughed.

"I know I told you yesterday that it hasn't, but I received the strangest news. Waffle Island is having beautiful weather and the ocean is 100 percent calm!"

"You're kidding!" Chase exclaimed, mouth agape.

"Nope," Pascal said, grinning. "Do you want to go? I can set sail anytime."

"Yeah." Chase could hardly believe it. He was going to Waffle Island at last…

"Maybe we should go pack up your stuff, huh, Chase?" Ann asked. Her voice was weighed down with sorrow.

"Sure. I'll be back in a half hour," Chase told Pascal. He then looked at Ann and followed her back to the Inn, where they would eventually say tearful goodbyes to each other and then go their separate ways…

~*~*~*~*~*

The sound of waves crashing against the boat's hull was comforting to Chase, who at this point was beginning to feel seasick and nervous. He sighed, inhaling the salty smell of the ocean water. It was a relief to finally be going to Waffle Island, but at the same time, Chase couldn't help but feel sick with worry.

"Ah…Chase?" Pascal asked, walking over to him. "I wanted to tell you that we'd be there soon."

"Oh…right. Yeah," Chase said, only paying half attention to the elderly captain. His hand ran through his messy strawberry-blonde hair, like it did whenever he was nervous.

"There's nothing to be worried about," Pascal said. "It'll be fun! Waffle Island is great!"

"Sure…whatever," Chase murmured. He looked down at the foaming blue waves that splashed up against the boat, releasing the same salty smell into the air.

"Er….well, I guess I'll call you when we get there." Pascal gave Chase a small smile before turning and walking away, leaving him alone.

---

"Chase!" Pascal yelled. "We've landed! I was going to let you sleep, but there are people here to meet you!"

Chase opened his eyes slightly, and it took him a minute to actually realize that he had fallen asleep. He groaned as he sat up; He was sore, and that familiar nauseous feeling returned. He got up, leaving the suitcases that he had brought with him, and walked over to the edge of the boat to see who was there.

Much to Chase's surprise, standing next to Pascal was a girl and a boy, both about his age. The girl was a little pale, with slightly flushed cheeks and warm brown eyes. Her hair was mocha-colored and flipped up at the ends. The boy had silver hair and a stiff, unfriendly expression on his face. Chase swallowed and slowly walked down onto the deck.

The girl turned and looked at him. "Oh, hello!" she said, still smiling.

"Oh...erm...hello," Chase said awkwardly, looking from the girl to the boy. "I'm Chase. I'm supposed to be Yolanda's new apprentice."

"I'm Angela." She held out her hand, and Chase set his bags down and shook it. "And this is Gill."

"Hello," Gill said, folding his arms in front of his chest. He definitely did not look to be in a good mood.

"Welcome to Waffle Island!" Angela exclaimed. She looked almost too happy to see Chase…and he hadn't even been here for three minutes. He smiled weakly.

"Thanks. It's good to be here," Chase said. From what he could gather by looking around at Waffle Island now, it was very big and the buildings seemed to have an older style. The beach was very pretty, and the scenery was very nice.

"I was so surprised when Angela and I saw Pascal's boat pulling into the dock." Gill said, looking at Angela. "We were sure that no one would come for a while. It was only a few days ago that Candace, Luna, and Shelly arrived. We didn't know that you could bring another person so fast, Pascal."

The elderly captain laughed. "I proved you wrong, didn't I?"

"We had hardly finished Daren's rainbow," Angela added, looking at Gill. "The weather sure did change quickly. But I guess it doesn't matter that much. It is good to have another person on the island."

Gill shrugged. "Yeah, it is. The more the merrier."

"Ah," Chase murmured. He wasn't quite sure what to say, since he didn't really know what Gill and Angela were talking about.

"Maybe you should go get a room in the Inn, eh, Chase?" Pascal asked. "I think they'll start to book up fast."

"Actually," Gill corrected, "there's a house for Chase that my father had built for him in the Maple Lake District."

"A _what_?" Chase was overwhelmed. A house? They had made him a house?

"Oh, yeah!" Angela smiled. "I forgot!"

"T-there's a house?" Chase exclaimed.

"Don't act so surprised," Gill smirked. "My father will do anything to get people to come to this island, including offering people free housing. Luke needed something to do anyway."

Chase nodded his thanks. "But at least let me pay you back… I don't have enough now, but eventually…"

"No need to worry. We have already informed your new boss to take weekly payments out of your paycheck until the house is halfway paid for. We can't exactly give it to you for free… but we can offer half-price."

"Gill! You're so thoughtful!" Angela ruffled his hair, causing him to blush. Gill cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

"Oh, well, I'll just leave you two. I can get settled by myself."

"You sure?" Angela asked. "We can help you unpack."

"I'm fine." Chase smiled. "I wouldn't want to get between you two."

Gill blushed furiously. "We…we're not together, if that's what you think!" he said angrily.

"Oh," was all Angela said.

"Well, in that case, I could use a little help unpacking. My stuff's still on the boat and some of my cooking pots can get a bit heavy. Why don't you run along and go get it, since you are a man. I wouldn't want your 'friend' to injure herself carrying my bags."

Gill glared at him. He finally managed to reply, through clenched teeth. "Fine."

After he left, Angela turned back to Chase, clearly hurt. "You didn't need to be so mean to him. His father's always giving him a hard time about the fact that we're friends. And that's the problem. Gill and I are just friends. Everyone just seems to take that the wrong way."

Chase crossed his arms. "I was just messing with him." He smiled. "I don't even know you two well enough to know anything about you."

Angela immediately brightened. "That's why we're welcoming you here! And, anyway, do you want to see your house?" Before waiting for a response, she began running up the path and into town.

"Hey! Wait!" Chase called to her. Angela turned around and smiled as he raced to catch up to her. Finally, he followed her until they got a large, very scenic area on the outskirts of Waffle Town. Angela was waiting by the door of a medium sized, cozy looking house when Chase approached her.

"Are you ready to see your new home?" Angela asked excitedly.

Chase shrugged. "Sure. I hope it's better than back home. My place at the inn was always cramped…"

"Oh, it's great." Angela had to shove some of her weight against the door, but it eventually gave way. Chase grinned and followed Angela inside the house, and came into a large, warmly colored room. A fully furnished kitchen sat in the corner, and there were a few couches and a table. To the left of Chase was what Angela introduced as his new bedroom, and to the right was a bathroom.

"Well?" Angela asked, barely containing her excitement. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah." Chase said, smiling. "I do. I think it's perfect for someone like me, who loves to cook."

"Oh…here. I have something for you." Angela sat down on the couch, reached into her rucksack and pulled out a thick, large cookbook. "I figured that you might want to try some of the recipes that we have here on Waffle Island. I know that you must cook a lot, so I figured that you must like to try new things also."

She handed Chase the the book. "W-wow," he murmured as he sat down next to her. It didn't even cross his mind that the food they make here would be different that Mineral Town's. "Thanks a bunch."

Angela smiled. "You're welcome. So you like it?"

"Of course," Chase said, grinning. "It's perfect."

Angela blushed. "I think perfect's a little over-the-top…"

Chase laughed. "No, seriously. I think I can learn a lot of interesting recipes from this cookbook." He opened up the book and flipped through the pages. "These look great!"

"I'm glad." Angela seemed a little relieved. There was a pause, and then she stood up. "Well…I better get back to my farm."

"You're a farmer?" Chase asked, putting the cookbook on the table. He immediately thought of Claire. "That's cool. I had a friend who was a farmer…back in Mineral Town."

"That's neat," Angela said. "I really like farming. I might not be too good at it now, but I think I can in time."

"I'm sure that you're a good farmer." Chase said. "It may be hard, but it's easy to be good at also."

"You're right," Angela said, smiling. "Well, anyway, I should get back. I think Gill might be coming with your suitcases soon," she added.

"Oh, right." Chase had completely forgotten about Gill, who was probably hauling his bags to his house now. "Maybe I should go get them from him…"

"No need," Angela said, looking out the window. "He's just around the corner." Sure enough, they went outside and found Gill dragging the suitcases and giving Chase an "I'm going to kill you" death stare.

"Er…sorry about that," Chase said when he got to the house. Gill glared at him.

"Sure you are," he murmured, too softly for Angela to hear.

"Well, you can unpack, right Chase?" Angela said. "I have to get back to my farm."

"Sure," Chase said. He was beginning to feel guilty about making Gill drag his bags all the way to his house. And they were certainly not the lightest things in the world…

"And I need to get back to the Town Hall," Gill said. "You can go there anytime if you want to learn more about the villagers. I have to go back and put you on the list," he added to Chase.

"Oh…okay." Chase smiled weakly and then turned to Angela, who was heading back down the path to her farm. "Bye!"

"See you tomorrow," she said over her shoulder. Chase swallowed and looked at Gill.

"Er…Um…" Gill glared at Chase for a moment before turning around and heading back down the path.

"Bye," Chase murmured, but Gill was already too far away to hear him. Chase stood outside for a minute before he took his suitcases and went back inside his house. After he put the bags in his room, Chase went over to the cookbook that he had placed on the table. He opened up to a random page, and looked at the recipes.

"Bouillabaisse, Bodigizer, Bamboo en Papilote," he murmured. "There sure are a lot of different recipes…" Chase sighed and closed the cookbook. Well, it kind of seemed fitting that as soon as he arrived on Waffle Island, he would have one friend, and one person who doesn't necessarily like him. Chase walked over his room and sat down on the bed. As he was getting ready to sleep, he prayed to the Goddess that things here would be better than they were in Mineral Town…because he definitely did not want anymore Claires, Grays, or Ricks.

"One time is enough," he agreed.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, I'm probably the worst authoress in the world right now. I keep saying that I'm going to update soon, and then I don't. I'm really sorry about all of the long waits, and I'm trying to get my updates up as soon as possible. It should be easier now that I have some good ideas going through my head.**

**I'm actually really excited about the next chapter. The ideas for this chapter and the next are pretty good, in my opinion. Before I end this author's note, I should probably say thanks to all of the people who reviewed, which were Simplegurl22, Shimmerleaf, and iChocoLove. I'd also like to thank everyone that favorited and/or added the story to their alert lists. Thanks again, and please read and review!**

* * *

The first rays of morning light were peeking through Angela's windows the next morning when she woke up. After taking a few moments to fully comprehend the fact that she was awake, Angela got up and walked over to the small wooden dresser in the corner of the room. She quickly took off the baggy t-shirt and pants that she wore to bed and replaced them with her favorite lime green work outfit.

Angela looked quickly at the clock, which read 8:40 a.m. She had overslept…again. She sighed and walked outside.

"Good morning, Angela," Gill said as she exited her house.

"Oh!" Angela exclaimed, her brown eyes widening in shock. "You scared me!" She took a few moments to calm her racing heart before continuing. "What are you doing here?"

Gill shrugged. "I don't have work for another few hours. I figured I could come and talk to you."

Angela eyed him skeptically. "Sure….whatever." She walked down the few stone steps and over to her plot of land. The tomatoes that used to be dead and withered were now bright red and ripe. Gill looked impressed.

"Wow. These look great!" he commented.

Angela beamed. "Thanks! I've been working really hard on them."

"I remember when you would forget to water them completely." Gill laughed. "Those were good times."

"Yeah," Angela said, rolling her eyes. "They sure were." She dug into her rucksack and pulled out the watering can. There was a pause while she watered her crops.

"You know what?" Gill asked. "I think you should begin thinking about taking care of animals."

Angela nodded. "I've thinking about building a barn. But I'm not entirely sure."

"You should!" Gill nodded in encouragement. "Having animals will make it feel like a real farm!"

"Yeah, it would. My only problem is responsibility, though," Angela said, sighing. "If I could barely remember to water my crops, how could I remember to feed my animals?"

"After a while, it becomes a routine," Gill explained. "You used to forget to water your crops, and you learned the hard way what happens. Now, after having that experience, every morning you wake up and water them. It's the same with having animals. You might forget to feed them once or twice, but after a while, it's a part of your morning. You can't forget."

"I guess." Angela muttered.

"And plus, you can compete in festivals and win if you take good care of your cows and sheep," Gill said.

"Wait, what festivals?" Angela asked, looking up.

"Don't you remember the Animal Festival?"

Angela looked confused. "No…when was it?"

"Er…about a week ago," Gill replied. "On the last day of Spring."

Angela frowned. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

"Weren't you there?"

"I don't think so."

"I was only there at the end, and when I didn't see you I thought you had just come earlier." Gill shrugged. "Maybe you didn't come at all."

"Oh…wait a minute," Angela muttered. "The last day of Spring? I think that was the day I went to the mine and collapsed."

Gill's eyes widened. "You collapsed in the mine?"

"Yeah. I went in the morning," Angela said, concentrating hard. "I remember finding a white wonderful buried in the rocks, and then I remember falling down and everything going black."

"Who found you?"

"Irene. She said she was down there, looking for Pontana roots when she saw me lying on the ground. She brought me back to the Clinic and let me rest there until I got better."

"You're going to kill yourself, Angela," Gill said, sighing. "Doing all of your farm work takes so much energy that you hardly have any left for mining."

"Thanks for telling me that now," Angela muttered.

"I figured you knew!" Gill exclaimed. "You are a farmer, after all!"

"I needed things to sell." Angela shrugged. "I thought mining was easy enough. I figured I'd have to earn more money doing things other than farming."

"That's true enough," Gill said. "But have you ever considered fishing?"

"Huh?" Angela said. "Did you say fishing?" She put the watering can back in her rucksack and stared at him.

"Yep." Gill nodded.

"Uh…."

"What is it?" Gill asked. "Wait…don't' tell me that you—" Angela looked at him and he burst out laughing.

"What?" she asked, her cheeks flushing red.

"You don't know how to fish, do you?" Gill asked. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"So what if I don't know how to fish?" Angela asked, her face turning redder and redder. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Of course it is!" Gill exclaimed. "Angela, everyone on this island knows how to fish. I thought you told me that you read the brochure!"

"I did!"

"Do you remember the section where it talked all about fishing? How Waffle Island makes the most money these days by shipping out fish?"

"Possibly," Angela muttered.

"Geez, Angela," Gill said, grinning.

The two of them were silent for a few moments. Angela muttered curses under her breath.

"You know, I could teach you," Gill said.

Angela looked up at him. "What?!"

"It's actually easier than you would expect." He smiled.

"No way," Angela said, shaking her head. "I will not fish."

"You already have a fishing rod!" Gill said. "Why not?"

"I've already tried to fish," Angela said. She shuddered. "It didn't end well."

"But if I teach you—"

"Please don't," Angela pleaded. "I'll end up mauling you with my fishing rod on accident!"

"I don't think that the chances of that happening are very likely." Gill smiled. "And one way or another, I'm going to teach you how to fish. Whether you want to or not."

Angela gave him her best death glare. "Whatever," she muttered. "Your funeral."

"So that's a yes?"

"An unwilling one."

Gill smiled. "I knew I could get through to you." He looked at the silver watch on his wrist. "Oh, man!"

"What?"

"I'm going to be late," Gill said. "I forgot that Elli wanted me to help her organize the bookshelves upstairs today."

"Whoops," Angela said. "You know how Elli is when she's angry. I'd start running if I were you."

"You're right. Er, but one last thing," Gill said. "Tomorrow's the Ocean Festival, and I wanted to know if you—"

"THERE YOU ARE, GILL!" A voice exclaimed, interrupting him. They both turned around and saw Elli waving frantically at them. She began running down the path towards Angela's farm. When she got closer, Angela could see her face red with anger. "YOU ARE IN SUPER-MEGA-ULTRA TROUBLE!"

"Great. Simply wonderful." Gill grimaced.

The brunette walked up to him, glaring. "Your watch is a half hour slow. I keep telling you to get it fixed!" She grabbed Gill's arm and began pulling him in the direction of Waffle Town. "Sorry, Angela," Elli said. "You can stop by later and visit him _after_ we get those bookshelves sorted."

"Er…" Angela smiled weakly. "Alright, I guess I'll see you later."

"About what I was going to tell you," Gill said. He glanced at Elli, who was beginning to look very annoyed. "I'll just tell you later. Can you come by the Town Hall?"

Angela nodded. "Sure."

Gill smiled. "Great, see you then!" He waved at her and then followed Elli back towards Waffle Town. When they were out of sight, Angela sighed and sat down on the wooden fence surrounding her farm. Her stomach growled suddenly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten any breakfast yet.

Angela pilfered through her pockets until she found enough money to buy her a decent meal at the Sundae Inn. She put the money in her rucksack, hopped off the fence, and began walking towards Waffle Island. The warm summer wind ruffled her hair when she arrived in the quiet town. As she approached the Inn, she could hear the familiar sound of the waves hitting the sand. Angela took a deep breath of the salty sea air and then entered the tall building next to her.

"Hello?" Angela called when she got inside. She walked around the empty main room of the Sundae Inn, looking at the plates full of half-eaten food that were strewn across the many wooden tables.

"Is anyone there?" she called again. There was no immediate reply, but soon a loud crash and a yelp of pain indicated that there were people in the kitchen. As she walked closer, Angela could make out the voices that were bickering back and forth.

"No, no, no! Maya, you're going to burn the dish!" Yolanda scolded.

"It was Chase's fault," Maya complained. "He bumped me!"

"Chase…" Yolanda warned.

"What?" he asked. "I didn't do anything!"

"You did too!" Maya exclaimed. "You bumped me so I would burn the food!"

"You're terrible at lying," Chase commented.

"I'm not lying!"

"Sure, whatever you say, Maya."

"Ugh! I'm leaving!" Maya stormed out of the kitchen and ran upstairs, oblivious to Angela.

"Chase!" Yolanda said. There was a sound much like wood colliding with an object, and then Chase groaned.

"What was that for? It hurt!"

"It was supposed to. Now shut up! We'll get customers any minute, and you'll bet they'll want to—" The short, pink-haired woman exited the kitchen and found Angela there, staring at her. "Oh…"

"What?" Chase poked his head out of the kitchen. He brightened when he saw Angela. "Oh, hey!"

"Hi!" she said.

"What's up?" Chase walked over to her. "I guess you can see that I've gotten settled in my new job."

Angela grinned. "And everyone seems to really like you."

Chase ran a hand through his hair. "I guess you heard that argument between me and Maya…"

Angela laughed. "Yeah. Why'd you bump into her anyway?"

"She called me a lousy cook. But I'm actually better than she is."

"So you made her burn her dish?"

Chase smiled. "Yep."

"You're horrible!" Angela said, grinning.

"Maya's horrible," Chase murmured.

"Hey! Are you two done chatting over there?" Yolanda asked, tapping her foot impatiently. "Chase, please get back in the kitchen. Did you want to order something, Angela?"

"Er, yeah, if that's alright. I finished farm work already and figured I'd come and get something to eat."

"Sure!" Yolanda said, ushering Chase into the tiny room beside her. "What did you want to order?"

"I'm not feeling very picky," Angela said, shrugging. "I guess anything."

"Great! We'll make it a surprise," Yolanda said. She looked around the room. "Oh, and if you see Maya, can you ask her to go the Town Hall for me? She'll know what it's about."

"Of course." Angela nodded, sitting down at one of the tables.

Yolanda grinned. "Thanks. Chase and I'll get started on your food right away." With that, she went back into the kitchen, leaving Angela all alone. It was very quiet, except for the occasional sizzle and pop of something cooking. After about ten minutes, Angela saw Maya coming back down the stairs.

"Oh, hello, Angela!" Maya walked towards her. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. How about you?"

Maya shrugged. "The same. I'm going to head out to On the Hook and buy some fish. You want to come?"

"Oh, I'm waiting for my food," Angela said. "But if you're leaving, Yolanda wanted me to tell you to visit the Town Hall. I don't know what for, but she said you would know."

Maya grinned. "Oh, yeah. She wanted me to sign her up for the Dance Competition. The deadline is today."

"Dance Competition?" Angela asked. "What's that?"

"You don't know?" Maya asked, astonished. "Really?"

"Angela shook her head. "Nope."

Maya sat down next to her. "It's basically a part of the Ocean Festival. You do know what that is, don't you?"

Angela shook her head again.

"Seriously?!" Maya asked. She sighed. "Oh, well I guess you are new here. The Ocean Festival is the main event of the Summer. It's also the only romantic festival of the season."

"Romantic festival?" Angela asked. Her stomach did a few flips when she remembered what Gill had been saying earlier.

"_You're right. Er, but one last thing," he said. "Tomorrow's the Ocean Festival, and I wanted to know if you—"_

Angela frowned. This was beginning to feel a little bit awkward. Had Gill been about to do what she thought he was going to do…? Maya waved her hand in front of Angela's face.

"Hey, snap out of it! Is something wrong?" she asked.

"What?" Angela looked up quickly. "Oh, no. I'm fine. What were you saying?" She swallowed.

"Well, it's normal to have a date for the Ocean Festival. And it's also normal to compete in the Dance Competition with your date, and that's held on the beach at sunset. The champion couple is said to receive a fabulous prize, but I've never won. Actually, I've never been asked out by someone." Maya blushed.

"What does this have to do with Yolanda?" Angela asked.

"Well, she said she got asked by someone to the Festival."

Angela almost gagged. The thought of the short, pink-haired woman going to a romantic festival with someone seemed a little strange. "Seriously? With who?"

"I dunno," Maya shrugged. "She said to sign her up when I got the chance to."

"Oh."

"Hey, are you going with someone, Angela?" Maya asked.

"W-what?" she stammered. "Er…not that I know of." Angela felt her cheeks going red.

Maya laughed. "You know, you don't have to hide it!"

"Hide what?!" Angela asked. Her pulse was racing and she was feeling a little nauseous.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Maya grinned. "But whatever, I understand that you might not want to talk about it. That's cool, so I'm going to leave it at that." Maya got up and began walking towards the door. "I'll see you later, Angela!"

"Wait! What are you talking about?" Angela asked, but it was too late. Maya had already left. Angela gulped and shook her head. The previous conversation had left her speechless and terrified. Was Gill planning on asking her to go with him? To the romantic festival of the season? Angela bit her lip.

It wasn't that she didn't like Gill…he was nice and considerate. But she just didn't like the concept of _dating_ him. It just didn't seem right. They could be friends, and that was it. Nothing more.

"You're food's ready!" Yolanda called from the kitchen a few minutes later. Angela could see Chase piling food onto a tray through the bar window. After a few seconds, he was walking out the door, carrying foods that Angela had never seen before.

"Here you go," Chase said, setting three dishes in front of her. Angela gaped at him.

"What are these?" she asked.

Chase shrugged. "Ask Yolanda, not me. She pulled out this ancient cookbook and began ordering me to get ingredients. I think it's safe to eat, though."

Angela smiled. She reached into her rucksack and pulled out the money. "Is this enough?"

"Hey, this is my treat. As thanks for the cookbook yesterday." Chase grinned as Angela speared one of the dishes with her fork. She ate it slowly, her eyes widening in delight.

"This is delicious!" Angela exclaimed. "I've never had whatever this is before!"

"Neither have I," Chase said. "I'm still new to Waffle Island recipes."

Angela swallowed her bite of food. "This is really good."

"Glad you like it," Chase replied. He turned around and saw Yolanda smiling smugly at him.

"I told you not to question my cooking skills!"

Chase grimaced. "Yeah, yeah. Sure."

"It's going to take you a while to learn to cook like me," Yolanda said smirking. "It takes time and talent to—"

"I'm back!" Maya burst through the door and into the room. "Did you guys miss me in the kitchen?"

"On the contrary," Chase murmured to himself. "That was the happiest half-hour of my life."

Maya shot him a death glare before continuing walking towards the kitchen. "I signed you up, Grandma. And you never told me you were going with Hamilton!"

"Huh?" Chase asked. "What's going on?"

"The Dance Competition," Maya said. "Don't tell me you don't know about it either."

Chase shook his head. "I've been here for two days. I don't know about any festivals or competitions."

"That's fine," Maya said. She skipped towards the table and looked at Angela and Chase. "Angela can tell you all about it, since I signed you two up!"

"What?!" Angela almost choked on her food.

"Surprise!" she said.

Angela gaped at her. "Maya…can I talk to you upstairs?" she asked, pushing her food back and standing up.

"Sure." Both girls walked upstairs. When they arrived in Maya's room, Angela placed her hands on her hips and glared.

"What have you done?" she asked.

"I asked Gill if you two were signed up yet, and he said no, so I signed you up!" She looked at her expression. "What? You should be thanking me for this! Registration closed five minutes ago, so you wouldn't be entered if it wasn't for me!"

"Maya," Angela said in a strangled voice. "Chase and I…we're not together."

"What?"

"You signed me up for the Dance Competition…" Angela said, her voice quivering. "With Chase."

"Er…" Maya said, clearly recognizing her mistake. "Oops."

"I can't believe you did that!" Angela shook her head. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Um…" Maya looked at her feet. "You can't back out of this. I'm really sorry, but once you're registered, you're registered."

"I can't dance!" Angela said, burying her face in her hands. "Maya! How could you have done this to me?"

"How was I supposed to know that Luna was lying?" she asked, flustered.

"Maya," Angela said, looking up. "It makes sense. Chase has been here for two days! How can we possible be dating?"

"I don't know! Love is a strange thing!"

"You're not helping!" Angela exclaimed. She bit her lip. "How am I supposed to explain this to him?"

"I don't know." Maya shook her head. "But I'm really sorry…I had no idea that you weren't dating."

"You have to get me out of this. Please."

"I already told you," Maya said, sighing. "You can't get out of it. It was originally a festival in honor of the Harvest Goddess, but as the years went by, they added it to the Ocean Festival. It's still considered a special part of the festival, and once you enter, they expect a good performance. Or else."

"Or else?" Angela asked softly.

Maya shuddered. "Don't ask."

It was quiet for a minute. Angela leaned against the wall while Maya sat down on the bed.

"You know, I could teach you and Chase," she suggested after a while. "There's this traditional dance that my parents taught me when I was little. It's fairly easy to learn, and a popular favorite at the competition."

"I already told you I can't dance."

"Sure you can," Maya said. "It's easy, trust me."

"You have no idea how uncoordinated I am." Angela shook her head. "Teaching me would be practically impossible."

Maya laughed. "I can teach you and Chase. And I'm pretty sure this is the only option unless you want to be shunned by the townspeople for the rest of your life."

Angela hesitated. She sighed and nodded. "I guess."

"Great." Maya nodded and stood up. "You should go and get Chase. Then we can start learning the dance."

"Already?" Angela asked.

"The sooner the better," Maya said. "Unless you want to learn it tomorrow five minutes before the festival starts."

Angela swallowed. "No, that's alright. I'll go get him." Angela left the room, and as she was walking downstairs, she agreed that tomorrow was probably going to be the worst day of her life.


End file.
